Athletes become legacies here at Hoover after junior swimmers Anna Helmuth and Marie Lochridge both achieved record board status this winter during their post-season.
Helmuth broke alumni Annie Lochridge’s record of 2:07.12 for the 200-yard Individual Medley set in 2017 at the District meet in Cleveland, setting a record time of 2:06.60.
Lochridge broke alumni Parker Timkin’s record of 56.32 for the 100-yard Butterfly at the District meet in Cleveland and then broke it again at the State meet in Canton, achieving a time of 55.74.
Though this sport was not a passion that started in high school, both swimmers have been a part of it since they can remember. Helmuth shares when she started swimming and how the sport has been a part of her family for a while.
“I started swimming around four or five,” Helmuth said. “The moment I could swim on my own, I was in the pool swimming. My dad raised me in swimming. He swam in high school for Louisville and competed in swimming for Mount Union in college. So my dad had a big influence on me in the sport. He passed down his love for the sport to me, in a way.”
Swimming has been a huge factor in Lochridge’s family as well.
“I have been swimming for 11 years,” Lochridge said. “My mom bribed me to start swimming. All of my siblings swam, so it was a given that I would too.”
It takes much more than attending practice to set records like Helmuth and Lochridge did. Lochridge explains her training process and how she fought to achieve her goals.
“Weekly training during the season is Monday-Friday 2-4:30 swim practice with an extra hour or so of dry land,” Lochridge said. “Along with that, I normally incorporate my own lifting. Meets are also woven into the week. During winter break, we have two-a-days and during the postseason, we swim all seven days of the week, meets on Saturday and recovery practice on Sundays.”
With a training like that, motivation can be hard but Lochridge can defy that.
“My goals are definitely my motivation; the thought of accomplishing my goals helped me push myself through tough practices,” Lochridge said. “The thought of not reaching my goals was more than enough to drive me to work harder.”
For any athlete, there are always doubts and setbacks. Helmuth shares her struggles and how she was able to overcome those struggles to find success.
“I still struggle with self-doubt but for a long time, my competition always scared me and I would always obsess over how I compared to others,” Helmuth said. “Thinking I wasn’t good enough or fast enough, clouded my mind. Learning to focus on myself and my abilities and knowing that someone else’s success isn’t my loss took time to learn. In the end, having a positive and supportive mindset was what got me through that obstacle.”
Though self-doubt is a struggle, there are always people around you to lift your spirits and believe in you. Hoover swim coach Mr. Richard Vaughn shares what his idea of Helmuth and Lochridge was when they first joined their freshman year.
“Since their first day of practice freshman year, there was an intensity and a desire to succeed from both of them,” Vaughn said.
This intensity was so strong in fact, Vaughn was not shocked when the records were broken.
“Records are made to be broken, so it isn’t a complete shock when they fall,” Vaughn said. “Both [Lochridge] and [Helmuth] have very dedicated training routines, so not surprised but very proud to coach two outstanding individuals.”
Being an outstanding athlete means training aspects you aren’t strong at and making them better. Lochridge explains a change she made to her training and how it helped her throughout her successful season.
“The most major changes in my training have been my mindset,” Lochridge said. “Making sure I go into every season knowing what my goals are, as well as making sure my coaches and I are on the same page about how I can get there. Once my goal is set, my coaches and I do everything we can to push me to get where I want to be by the end of season.”
Mindset is everything, especially during a meet and dealing with anxiety and stress. This is something Helmuth has learned to deal with and not let it get in her way during a race.
“For me, staying away from heat sheets and dissociating from the competition is what helps me the most,” Helmuth said. “Focusing on my own race and having a good time before, during and after my race has been my best strategy. Having teammates to laugh with and almost distract me from the upcoming race, helps me to not overthink my races, which I used to struggle with a lot. I used this mentality going into my junior year and I think it helped my performance significantly compared to my previous swim seasons.”
When both Lochridge and Helmuth finished their races, they were met with a lot of praise and love from teammates and family.
“Everyone was very excited for me but I wouldn’t say many were surprised,” Lochridge said. “It was no secret that I was chasing the school record, so everyone was rallying behind me. As soon as I broke the actual record, my team was very quick to celebrate me.”
Helmuth had the opportunity to celebrate with someone close to her.
“I got to celebrate it with my sister Maria Helmuth,” Helmuth said. “The moment I got out of the pool, she was there and gave me a big hug. Her being there right after my race made the moment so much more special.”
Since both Helmuth and Lochridge are juniors, they have many more goals to accomplish, including breaking more records and making it back to the State meet next year.
A part of the legacy status is the impact their record will have on future Hoover swimmers. Lochridge shares her advice for upcoming swimmers.
“I would tell younger swimmers that as long as they put in the work to accomplish their goals, that they just need to trust in themselves, their coaches and their training,” Lochridge said. “You get what you give.”
Helmuth also shares her advice to anyone wanting to achieve their goals.
“Don’t compare yourself to others,” Helmuth said. “You are your own person. Believe in yourself and remember that you can achieve anything if you believe it. Have fun along the way and never forget why you’re doing what you’re doing.”
