By BUTCH HARMON
When it comes to water sports, few schools can boast of the success that Rockford can.
This winter, the Rockford boys swim team has reloaded and has its sights set on adding to its impressive list of conference titles and strong finishes at the state swimming and diving finals.
Led by a strong senior class, the team is closing in on a fifth straight O-K Red Conference championship. The Rams have won the league title every season since 2009.
They are also gearing up for another high finish at the state meet. Last year, the Rams finished second in the state in Division 1.
A big key to Rockford’s success is that it is a large team, and its depth makes it tough to beat.
The depth also enables the Rams to reload from year-to-year instead of rebuild. This season, for example, the Rams are re-tooling after losing a number of key swimmers from last year’s team. “We still do have a lot of talent back this year, but we lost many great sprint freestylers to graduation last year, and that has been a huge adjustment,” said coach Tom Parks. “Sprint freestylers are featured in five of the 12 events, so while we have all the other bases covered, that is where we are trying to fill the holes. We’re getting there, including experimenting with one of our best IMers in the 50 free. A couple of the other guys in the event are showing promise.”
Another key to Rockford’s success is the unity that the squad has.
“We also have a very close group of guys,” Parks said. “In fact, one of our senior swimmers had to stop swimming due to an injury. Rather than give up his swim and polo friends, he will be diving for the first time tonight, just so he can still be part of the team.”
The swimmer in question, Justin Hulsebus, suffered a shoulder injury during the water polo season. When it did not improve during the swim season, he faced missing the remainder of the season before he decided to take up diving so that he could continue to compete.
Hulsebus is one of many Rockford swimmers who are also members of the Ram water polo team that is coached by Dave McWatters. The water polo team has dominated the sport in Michigan, winning state titles in 2009, 2010, and 2012. McWatters also assists Parks with coaching the swim team, and many athletes are members of both teams.
“I would say 75% of our team also plays water polo,” Parks said. “Dave works them hard. All that work and that success carries over into swimming. Many of our kids are involved in swimming or water polo year round. That really helps both programs continue to be successful.”
Along with training hard in the pool, the swimmers and water polo players do a lot of dry-land training. One area where they do a lot of work is the weight room.
“I think we are doing more weight work than is typical for most swim teams,” Parks said. “We are very happy with its impact. The team does love lifting.”
That work is again paying dividends this season. Rockford is ranked third in the state in Division 1 in the latest rankings. Individually, the Rams have six swimmers who have already qualified for the state meet – Mike Arend, Craig Wasberg, Nick Willison, Trenton Babcock, David Newberger, and Timmer Hoffmeister.
With the combination of depth, individual talent, and hard work, the Rams are on pace for their third top-three finish in the state meet in the last three years.