A Dream and a Goal
At the start of the season Ben Sharrer was an extremely raw but talented swimmer. Through the course of the season he continually made adjustments to his stroke and was committed to coming to practice. By Christmas Championships he had made his Junior Olympic cut in the 50 fly, which was his goal at the start of the season. However, as the season progressed he set his sights a bit higher. After receiving a note about the Showcase Classic that the FISH might be able to attend, Ben decided that he wanted to be one of those swimmers.
One of the requirements he had to meet to be able to attend this meet was attendance at some of the long course morning practices at Wakefield. Ben did not look at this as something to be avoided, complete with reasons why it could not be done. On the contrary, he realized that in order to achieve this high goal, he needed to take advantage of all the opportunities available to him, and that this opportunity would be a necessary step to get tougher and faster.
We first noticed a new-found focus and intensity in his training at the Advanced Age Group practices. Once Ben took his commitment to this new level, he really began to take off. In his first ever attempt in the 100 butterfly, he swam a blistering 1:22.78, coming in well below the Junior Olympic qualifying standard of 1:35.19. However, he was still dissatisfied since he was slightly short of making the qualifying time for the Showcase Classic in Coral Springs, FL. Taking advantage of the long course practices at Wakefield on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Ben got more quality coaching, and really began building up his endurance.
The next time he swam the 100 butterfly, he inched even closer and bettered his time to 1:21.17, dropping nearly 2 seconds in only 3 weeks! This achievement put him well within striking distance of the qualifying time - 1:20.89. He then competed in 18 and under champs and the FISH qualifier where he got best times in every event he swam, and also added 5 more events to his Junior Olympics' event lineup - bringing his total to 7. While some athletes would be thrilled with this outcome and might become complacent with their success - Ben was having none of it. He continued attending the morning sessions at Wakefield right up until the week of Junior Olympics with a focus rarely seen in a 9-year old swimmer.
While Ben is often referred to as "Little" Ben by the coaching staff, there was nothing "little" about his performance at Junior Olympics. He ended up dropping a combined 22.84 seconds and getting career best times in every single event he swam. Oh, and those butterfly events that he was hoping to make the qualifying times in - he got those too. He first qualified in the 50 fly on Friday in a time of 34.44 coming in comfortably under the qualifying time of 34.89 seconds. He then closed out his already fantastic meet with a head turning 1:17.07 in the 100 fly finishing 9th overall.
So, after much consideration by the coaching staff, "Little" Ben is now forever to be known simply as Ben - the boy who showed that hard work, focus and dedication can turn into big achievements. Please be sure, if you have the pleasure of seeing him, to congratulate Ben on all of his success. But be careful, he's easy to miss...until you're caught wondering who the little guy is making a big splash.
