Last year, Lake Orion boys swim Coach Paul Fairman sent two athletes on to the collegiate level (Dave Brown at Miami (OH) and Garrett Ruhland at Michigan State).
The trend will continue in 2007, as senior captain Ricky Forrest is headed to State as well.
Forrest, who Fairman said is one of the most dedicated swimmers he’s ever coached, chose State from a short list that included Eastern Michigan, Ohio State and Miami (OH).
Though he still talks with his former teammates, Forrest said he was not influenced by them in his decision.
With aspirations to become a teacher, Forrest cited the strong program at State as one of his main factors.
‘In the end, I just wanted to stay in-state,? he said.
Though he has only had limited interaction with the coaches at MSU, Forrest likes what he’s seen and heard.
‘They’ve got an assistant coach from Georgia (Manny Noguchi), and Garrett told me he’s a lot like Fairman,? Forrest said.
‘So, I guess I’m looking forward to that,? he added with a smile.
Fairman is also glad to see Forrest stay close to home.
‘They’re recruiting a lot of in-state swimmers, which I like,? he said of MSU, adding that it reminds him of his days swimming at Michigan.
Forrest is excited about moving to the college ranks, as it will finally allow him to display his skill in the pool. Many of the events he specializes in are not included in high school competition.
He said the 400 individual medley, 200 fly and 1,000 freestyle are some of his favorites. All of those events are double the lengths high school athletes swim.
Forrest also swims in the mile.
But before he moves on to State, there is still some unfinished business left at Lake Orion.
‘The 500 is his best event in high school,? Fairman said.
It’s an event in which both Fairman and Forrest think the swimmer has a realistic chance of winning a state title.
‘I’m in there, but I’m not the favorite,? Forrest said. ‘But I like being the underdog.?
If recent training trends stay true, the event is Forrest’s to lose.
‘Each year, I’ve dropped 11 seconds in the 500,? he said. ‘If I do that this year I’ll set a state record.?
‘But those last 11 seconds are the toughest,? Fairman joked.
Both parties realize that dropping another 11 seconds is a bit unrealistic. Forrest said breaking the 4:30 mark (or dropping 6.71 seconds) is his real goal.
Forrest currently holds school records in both the 500 free and the 200 IM (1:59.40).
His times in the 200 free and 100 fly are also close to school marks, and holding four of the possible nine individual swimming records would be impressive to say the least.
Forrest said the 200 free, where his best time is just 0.02 behind record-holder Adam Dodge, will be the toughest to claim.
Forrest is also anchoring a pair of relay teams this year, a new experience given the fact that Brown and Ruhland were around last year.
‘Last year, Ricky was the third or fourth guy on the relay teams and this year he’s the go-to-guy,? Fairman said.
Forrest said he approaches the events the same as he always has.
‘Basically, I just swim as fast as I can and try to hold on,? he said.
He added that swimming in the speed events, which the relays fall under, can help him improve in the mid-distance events.
Forrest also hopes his presence this season will help the team continue to improve, and he has high hopes for them in the future.
‘When I was a freshman, we won every meet we were in, basically,? he said. ‘So I’d like them to eventually experience that.?
Fairman added that having Forrest around to share his experiences and demonstrate a good work ethic is invaluable.
‘Adam Dodge and Dave Brown were good trainers, but they were different,? he said, saying that Forrest is more aerobically inclined.