James Ogihara-Kertz
James Ogihara-Kertz knows exactly what he has to work on now to improve after many years of swimming.
“Probably just to keep my freestyle less splashy and just, I guess, all my swimming all together,’’ said Ogihara-Kertz, a Grade 8 student at Mount Prevost Middle School, who turns 14 on March 12.
“When I was five, I went into the Breakers for a year after my brother joined,’’ he explained.
They eventually switched over to the Duncan Stingrays and Ogihara-Kertz carried on even after his brother Eli left the team.
“It’s a lot of fun,’’ he said.
“I expect to see a lot of great things from him,’’ said Stingrays’ assistant coach Colleen Smith.
“We’ve been working a lot on our technique. He is coming along. It’s been a pleasure working with him.’’
Training sessions four times a week have fueled Ogihara-Kertz’s progress.
“I think back about how slow I was, but then all of that training has helped me a lot,’’ he said.
The 100- and 200-metre fly have become his two specialty events.
That evolved from a meet in Chilliwack two years ago when Ogihara-Kertz won silver medals in those events plus a bronze.
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