The idea of Train like a Sabercat hit me when I was covering a volleyball game my first year on staff, but I was too afraid to bring it up to anyone on leadership so it quickly got pushed to the back of my mind. Then during my senior year, I watched a Day to Be video in which an artist trained like a volleyball player and a volleyball player turned into an artist. It brought back the same idea and made me want to do it more before I graduated. So what I would do is train with a team for week and write about both my experience with it and what they do behind the scenes, to show that what you see on competition day is only a fraction of the work they put in.

When I pictured what Train like a Sabercat looked like I was not about drowning as I tried to breathe with a snorkel at five in the morning or dangling awkwardly from a pullup bar in front of both the boys’ swim team and the football team. This, however, became my reality when head coach of the boys’ swim team Mark Morehouse let me come to morning practices for a week.

On day one of training with the Fossil Ridge High School boys’ swim team I was exhausted from waking up an hour too early because of nerves, to the point where even blasting rap could not help me mentally prepare. Then when Morehouse and the team arrived at the Edora Pool and Ice Center (EPIC) at 5:10, they all looked well rested and ready to start the first morning practice of the 2019 season.

The first thing that coach Morehouse did to start the practice was write down the different mobility workouts on the whiteboard. Mobility workouts are things like inchworms, planks, push-ups, jumping jacks, and smaller strength workouts that everyone did before getting in the pool. Before jumping in the pool Morehouse would say what additional equipment needed to be used, like a kick stick (small piece of PVC pipe), snorkel, or kickboard.

For the first day we grabbed all three and started with snorkels and a kick stick, focusing solely on form while breathing only through the snorkel. After swimming our designated laps for form, snorkels came off and it was time for just the kick stick. For this round of laps the goal was to work on form while also working on breathing only every three strokes. This proved particularly difficult for me, but the boys had been working on it during pre-season training so they all did it with ease. Then after the kick stick laps were done we worked on different rounds of strokes while doing timed laps, this was intimidating to watch as all the boys seemed to effortlessly do these with exemplary form. Thankfully, once these were done, it was time to work with the kickboards. Morehouse started us doing flutter kick then, after the laps for flutter were done, it was swimmers’ choice. When all of the laps were done it was 6:45 A.M. and practice was over. Before heading to the showers, everyone gathered together and yelled “Ridge!” before heading to school.

On the second day, after our mobility workouts, the only things we grabbed were a kick stick and a snorkel. The morning started with snorkels and kick sticks again, which were getting easier, then we went into lane tech with a variation of strokes again. Lane tech is when the swimmers focus on a certain stroke and the first round of laps is on making them look good, then speed, and then both. After working on lane tech Morehouse counted us off from 6-10 and we went to whatever lane our number was. This is when we started working on a few more timed laps with a variation of strokes before getting on the bulkhead and working on diving. Quickly, I learned that I can not dive into the pool, but also the boys literally hurl themselves into the pool like it’s the easiest thing in the world. We worked on different starts for different strokes, before working on the relay start which is when Morehouse told me to go practice diving into the pool off the deck and away from the lanes. After the diving practice and laps, practice was over and we all huddled up to yell “Ridge!” before leaving.

Wednesday was the rest day before going into dryland practice on Thursday. Dryland started a bit later, 6:05 A.M. to be exact and was at Fossil in the big gym. Everyone starts in the big gym with some warm-ups like grapevine, skipping, backwards skipping, and shuffle, before going into the conditioning part of the morning. Morehouse handed everyone sheets of paper then the team split into groups or pairs. The conditioning aspect was a more in-depth and difficult version of the mobility workouts done before getting into the pool, more reps and longer versions of the workouts were done before everyone headed into the weight room. This is when we split into groups of four and got handed another sheet of paper. Every paper had four rounds of three workouts and each workout had to be done twice before moving on to the next round. It meant three people were doing something while one person was on rest while the others did their reps of each workout. It was things like dumbbell bench presses, weighted split jumps, goblet squats, pull-ups, curl-ups, weighted planks, medicine ball sit-ups, etc. The boys easily lifted 70-pound dumbbells and did effortless pull-ups as they went through the workouts. Then as everyone finished up their rounds and put away the equipment it was time to yell “Ridge!”

Following the dryland practice the mobility workouts were laughably easy and everyone jumped into the pool with no equipment. The practice began with lane tech before going into more focused stroke based laps. This went by quickly then we joined the Fort Collins High School swim team for a kickboard timed lap interval exercise. Every time you met for one 50-yard lap you moved up 10 seconds until you had to start again. This took up the rest of practice, in which a few Collins and Fossil swimmers lapped me twice in the ten lanes, I only moved up one lane time. After we yelled my last “Ridge!” I was no longer a swimmer. In all honesty I don’t think I could have handled being a swimmer knowing the season only got more intense from here.

All in all, these are some of the hardest working athletes at Fossil whose grueling morning practices quickly made me realize why the boys’ brought home the State Championship trophy three years in a row and taking home second place in the 2017-2018 season. The twice a day training that this team does is more intense and mentally straining than any of the sports I played with, and their dedication is more than I have ever seen. A week of swimming morning practices taught me a lot. Like some of the guys on the team are the nicest people I have ever met, swim is one of the most supportive teams, and I am an okay swimmer. Coach Morehouse said my worst skill was “diving,” which was no surprise, but he also said I was best with “mental toughness. (seriously, you did way better than I anticipated. That wasn’t easy. It gets easier when you get better though.)”

For any young athletes thinking about joining swim, after only a week, I recommend joining one the best and most supportive teams that Fossil has. Coach Morehouse said for any swimmers looking to join, “Join a club or summer swim team now.  Skill takes time to develop. With that said, we will take anyone on the team who wants to try it and is ready for the challenge.”

Having already watched the boys compete in the 2018 season, I had come to respect them and their sport in a way I never had for the sports I played. The mental and physical strength they need to compete and the support that everyone shows for every athlete was something I was in awe of. Now having trained with them for the week I respect them so much more, knowing the work they put in every morning before coming to school, just to head to another practice in the afternoon. If you want to come and watch some of the best athletes Fossil has to offer, their first home meet is March 12, at EPIC at 4:00 P.M to kick off their 2019 season. Another huge thank you to the boys’ team and all the coaches, and I can’t wait to cover my last swim season!

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect more details about Train like a Sabercat and the experiences of everyone involved