Last minute Lavin qualifies for Montreal
Jordan Torok of the Spartans practises the butterfly stroke during a morning swim at the Leisure Centre.
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David Lavin had just about given up.
Six times, the 14-year-old swimmer had tried, and failed to qualify for the Canadian Age-Group Nationals. Each time, he’d come up mere hundredths of a second shy. Each time, he despaired just a little bit more. All that work.
Twelve-plus hours of training each week with the Chilliwack Spartans, going up and down the lane, trying to figure out a way to shave the most miniscule increments of time off his total.
At times, it was pure frustration.
And then, last weekend presented Lavin’s last chance.
At the AAA provincial meet in Victoria, he steadied himself on the starting block with butterflies running wild in his stomach.
For months he’d hoped and dreamed of earning that ticket to Montreal, with a chance to compete in the most prestigious of amateur meets.
Now, there was quite literally no room for error.
A time ran through his head over and over again. To qualify for Montreal in the 100 metre backstroke, he needed to finish in 1:08.30.
In swimming, the slightest mistake can make all the difference.
One poor stroke takes a split second off your time, and you’re done. It is a sport for perfectionists, and on this day,
Lavin was perfect. The Chilliwack native pushed himself to the limit, utilized flawless technique and reached the finish line in very short order.
He poked his head out of the water and stared at the clock.
1:08.30.
Exactly.
“At first, I was worried that maybe I had to break the time to qualify,” Lavin said. “I talked to my coach and he told me all I had to do was match it. Then I was so happy. I couldn’t move. I just stood there looking at the clock.”
Lavin capped off his dream day later on, qualifying in the 200m backstroke by three hundredths of a second.
And suddenly, all the pre-dawn wakeup calls and early-morning workouts were worth it.
“To go to Montreal and compete with the best swimmers from across Canada is such a cool thing,” he said with a smile. “If I hadn’t qualified, I would have been in a super bad mood all week.”
Lavin will make the trip to La Belle Province with a small contingent of Spartan teammates, including Jordan Torok, Laurel Dick and Alex Shopf.
Torok is making a return trip to nationals after competing last year in Calgary. No one was happier for Lavin than his teammate, because he knows how aggravating it can be to come up short.
``It can be very frustrating,” Torok said. “You know there’s always another swim meet, but at the same time, when you work for so many hours and swim your hardest and it doesn’t happen, it’s very frustrating. But you feel like the strongest man alive when you finally hit your time.”
Lavin will experience the atmosphere of nationals for the first time, and Torok guarantees his young teammate will be impressed. It is a pressure packed event, sure to bring out the best in any competitor. In Calgary, Torok posted personal bests in all but one event.
“I swim a little better under pressure, so I loved it,” the 15-year-old said. “People actually pay to watch us swim, and the competition is so strong. It is very hard to crack the top 10 and make it into the finals. You’re doing pretty good if you can set some personal bests. For me, personally, I know it’s a long-shot for me to crack the top 10 in the 400m freestyle, but if I can take a second off my time in the 800m freestyle, I qualify for Western Canadian championships. That’s one goal I have.”
Going to nationals for the first time, Lavin is realistic about his expectations. For starters, it’s enough for him to know he’s capable of hanging out with the best of the best.
“As long as I swim my best, that’s all that really matters,” Lavin said. “Knowing that I can swim at a national level is a pretty good thing, and knowing I can do it at 14-years-old means I’ll probably be able to go back a few more times. This time, I’m just going to try to have fun and see what it’s all about. If I can get a few personal bests, then that will be a good result.”
Age Group Nationals started yesterday and continue through Sunday at the Parc Jean Drapeau.
The meet is for swimmers between the ages of 12 and 18.
Get results next week in the Progress sports section, or go online to
The Spartans swim several times a week at the Landing Leisure Centre. To get more information, go online to www.spartanswimclub.com or call 604-858-7946.
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