Bound for Nationals

SARASOTA — Bethany Leap is completely in her element.

The 2014 Booker High graduate and Sarasota Sharks swimmer glides through the crystal clear blue water at the Selby Aquatic Center with relative ease.

As she completes the final leg of her cool down, Leap returns to the starting blocks alongside her fellow Sharks teammates — another practice in the books.

It’s here, in the very same pool, Leap got her start as a bubbly 5-year-old. It’s where she developed and sharpened her skills, started competing and learned what it takes to be a champion.

“The level of swimming here (at the Sharks) is very high,” Leap says. “We have a lot of people who all want to achieve the same goals working together and swimming against one another. We enjoy racing and pushing each other to our limits. None of us like to lose.”

Three weeks from now, Leap, who will swim for the University of Texas this fall, will rely on her training and competitive spirit to guide her, as she dives into the pool for 2014 Phillips 66 National Championships Aug. 6 through Aug. 10, in Irvine, Calif.

Leap will be joined by Sharks teammate Alex Katz, a 2014 Riverview High graduate who will swim for the University of Michigan this fall, and University of Florida swimmers Danielle Valley, Taylor Katz and Ashley Linn, who all swam for the Sharks.

Leap and Katz made their first appearance at Senior Nationals last summer — one categorized by nervous energy and insurmountable pressure.

Both swimmers found themselves up against some stiff competition.

Leap landed in the same heat as former University of Texas swimmer Laura Sogar, who won a NCAA national title and made the U.S. national team. Katz didn’t have it any easier, for his heat draw included Olympian gold medalists Ryan Lochte and Tyler Clary.

While both swimmers admit they were blown away by the competition, the opportunity to swim alongside the nation’s best proved to be invaluable.

“It was really cool getting to race and swim with Olympians that you see on TV,” Leap says. “A lot of it was a learning experience. It was my first time and just learning how to deal with the pressure.

“Everyone starts at that level, so it’s encouraging to see people who have been at that level before and to see what can happen in the future,” Leap says.

Katz agrees.

“It reinforced how important training is, especially the little things,” Katz says. “Their strokes are perfect. It gives you something to think about knowing there’s always room to improve. It just motivates you.”

With a year of experience behind them, Leap and Katz are planning to take a new approach into Senior Nationals. Rather than putting unnecessary pressure on themselves, the two are looking to improve on last year’s performances and most importantly, have fun.

“Last year was really stressful,” Katz says. “I was really nervous and had a lot of anxiety. This year I just want to enjoy racing. I put a lot of pressure on myself with goals I wanted to accomplish since I was racing fast people the first time. But really it’s no different than racing any other time.”

Leap plans to swim the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes while Katz is slated to swim the 100 and 200 backstrokes and the 200 and 400 freestyles.

In addition to improving on last year’s performances, Leap and Katz also are looking to make the U.S. national team, the Pan-American team, the World University Games team or the national junior team — all of which are chosen during the summer.

“I’m excited to have fun and see how much better I’ve gotten,” Leap says. “I’m a lot more relaxed because I know what to expect, since I’ve been there before. Going fast and being able to see improvement will be enough for me.”

+ Junior and Senior National Competitors
2014 Speedo Junior National Championships, July 30 through Aug. 3, in Irvine, Calif.
Carter Page, Riverview High
Lara Hernandez-Tome, Riverview High
Austin Katz, Cardinal Mooney
Drew Clark, Riverview High
Morgan Carr, West Virginia (training with the Sharks
in Sarasota this summer)
Daniel Erlenmeyer, Lakewood Ranch
Sophie Cattermole, Lemon Bay
Nancy Hu, Riverview High

2014 Phillips 66 National Championships, Aug. 6 through Aug. 10, in Irvine, Calif.
Bethany Leap, Booker High alumna
Alex Katz, Riverview High alum
Danielle Valley, Lakewood Ranch alumna
Taylor Katz, Riverview High alumna
Ashley Linn, Riverview High alumna

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].