The Dynamic Swimming Duo

There’s more to swim meets than doing laps in a pool. And State qualifying swimmers Madison Thomson and Olivia Karcis can attest to that.

You need to get a good head start by diving off the platform or pushing off against the wall. You must pace yourself while rushing through the water so that you don’t burn out too quickly. When you get to the edge of the pool, you need to turn around quickly, often by flipping your body forward and pushing off the wall with your feet. And of course, focus is key.

To train for States, Coach Kim Bray makes them do tapering and hard sets. “Tapering is what you do leading into a big meet,” she said. “You sort of cut your main set in half-ish, fast pace, longer intervals.”

Hard sets are exactly what they sound like. “Everything we do in practices is broken into sets. They might do 10 by 100 free on 1:20, for instance, which means that they have to swim 100 yards of free in under 1:20. If they finish in 1:20, for example, then they have 10 seconds to rest. But if they finish in 1:18, then they only have 2 seconds rest in between each one. In this example, they have to do that 10 times before they get a real rest. That's just one example, there's lots of different things that they do, but that's a tougher one.”

Thomson and Karcis are the first two Norton swimmers to ever qualify for States, which will take place Sunday, Feb. 20. Thomson will swim the 200 and 500 freestyle and Karcis qualified in the 100 backstroke and 200 individual medley. She also qualified to sectionals, which is this Sunday, and slightly easier to qualify for.

This will also be the first season Norton has ever had any individual swimmers at sectionals. The school has sent a relay before, but never an individual swimmer.

Thomson, a freshman at Norton High School, joined the swim team because she was interested in meeting new people and being a part of the school. She is currently ranked first in both the 200 and 500 freestyle in the Tri Valley League. Her record in the 200 freestyle is 2:05 while in the 500 freestyle it’s 5:35.

“I feel confident in both of my events, but I’m definitely more confident swimming the 500 freestyle because I love swimming the distance events,” Thomson said.

In preparation of the two important meets, Thomson makes sure to get a good night sleep, drinks plenty of water and eats carbohydrates.

“I try to consistently give it my all in practice everyday, and I am also working to improve my flip turns,” she added.

Karcis, a sophomore, is also swimming for Norton High School for the first year. Swimming since she was 8 years old, she has always loved the sport. The 100 backstroke is her strongest event, in which her record is 1:05.6. Her best time in the 200 individual medley is 2.24.5.

“I'm training harder than I have all season and tapering,” she said. “The toughest part for me is tapering. When I taper, I try to get within 4 to 7 seconds of my best time,” Karcis said.

“There are some pretty awesome club swimmers that participate in high school swim, so I'll have to look out for them. I'm also going to be looking out for the girl from Holliston who beat me in the 100 back at TVLs,” she said.

For Thomson and Karcis to qualify for States is a big deal for Coach Bray. “It means a lot to me and to the entire team that they have come this far. They are helping to elevate the level of the entire team, and we are all proud and enthusiastic about their accomplishments,” she said.

“For Norton to be represented at this level is a big step for this team. They are helpful and supportive of all their teammates and they are a pleasure to work with.”