Chesterton junior Tyler Scalf, an alternate a year ago, swimming a leg of 200-yard freestyle relay at state

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Swimmers, more than most athletes, are accustomed to staying in hotels. Sometimes starting from a young age, they must travel to meets to find races against swimmers with similar ability.
But this weekend is not just another road trip for the five Chesterton swimmers and one diver who will compete at the state meet at the splendid IU Natatorium, located on the campus of IU Indianapolis, formerly known as IUPUI.
Junior Tyler Scalf went as an alternate last season and said he enjoyed the road trip.
“We take a short bus, the one with the nice seats,” Scalf said of the special-purpose vehicles with the school colors and logos splashed on the outside. “Sometimes we get something to eat on the bus ride and we listen to music. It’s fun. It’s something not all people get to have.”
The SPV left for Indianapolis earlier today.
As for the destination, IU Natatorium, and the spectacle of the state meet, replete with walk-ups to the starting blocks for the swimmers in the finals, big crowds, and a non-stop buzz in the air, nobody can mistake it for just another meet.
“It’s an experience, I guess,” Scalf said. “It’s fun. It’s different from other hotel meets. You stay there longer. And it’s like a different feeling.”
How so?
“It’s more serious, I guess,” said Scalf, who enjoys swimming the 100 butterfly as well. “It’s kind of scary.”
Scalf, who joins seniors Luke Wheele and Calan Berrier and sophomore Aaron Guzzo on the 200-yard freestyle relay, has a plan for minimizing the fear factor.
“Focus on yourself and not on other things,” he said. “Focus on your race.”
As with most swimmers, Scalf said he gets more of a charge out of swimming for a relay team than in an individual event.
“It’s more of an adrenaline rush because you get all the pressure on you,” Scalf said. “It’s more of a team event.”
Scalf swam for the 400 free relay in the sectional prelims but wasn’t feeling well the day of the sectional finals and scratched from the 400 relay after swimming in the 200 free relay.
“I think Greydon did better than I would have done anyway,” said Scalf, who will swim only in the 200 relay at the state meet.