Junior Olympian churns for the gold

Fourteen-year-old Grant Nelson, Florida's No. 2 male swimmer for ages 13-14, goes into the Junior Olympics with versatility, skill and a desire to win. His hard work has qualified him for six events and he's going after No. 1.

By TERRY JONES

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 16, 2000

CARROLLWOOD -- Swimming is more than a leisurely pastime or even a sport to 14-year-old Chamberlain freshman Grant Nelson. It is a way of life.

Entering the Junior Olympics July 20-23 in Orlando, he has recorded qualifying times in all four competitive strokes and most events. He will be allowed to compete in six.

His versatility and skill have helped him to earn the U.S.A. Swimming ranking of No. 2 in Florida for all male swimmers ages 13-14. With excellent swims in the next few weeks, he could move up to No. 1 by the end of summer.

"Swimming has become a way of life for me," Nelson said. "I tried other sports, but there is nothing like swimming. I feel I am realistic in my goals. One event, one time cut, one meet, one year at a time is my plan.

Nelson said he is fortunate to have "two excellent coaches" in Jim Kelly and Randy Johnson. "I also have great teammates, supportive parents, and I am not afraid of hard work."

Nelson's favorite stroke is the butterfly and his best results are recorded in the longer distances, which are all in the freestyle. In the Junior Olympics next week, he and his coaches have selected the 400- and 800-meter freestyle, 100- and 200-meter butterfly and the 200- and 400-meter individual medley events for his six swims.

"The butterfly is the most comfortable stroke for me, but because of all my training and built-up endurance, I do well in freestyle distances.

Distance swimming allows him to think and set a pace with the clock and opponents, he said. "Endurance and speed are also very important," he added, "and that comes with hard work."

He does work hard. Monday through Friday he trains and swims from 6-8 a.m. and again from 4-6 p.m., then another two hours each Saturday.

When school starts in August, he will swim with his club team from 4:30-6:30 a.m. before class, swim with his school team in the afternoon and put in another two hours in the evening with his club team.

"Grant has a lot of determination and works hard at cutting his times," assistant coach Randy Johnson said. "He never seems to miss practice. All of his strokes have been good since he was 8 years old. He just gets stronger as his body matures. He is at the point where we look for even the smallest thing in his technique to help him get better as well as stronger."

His goals in the Junior Olympics next weekend include qualifying for the U.S.A. Swimming Area Meet July 27-30 in St. Petersburg. He wants to qualify for the Zones in the St. Petersburg meet.

The U.S.A. Swimming Zone Meet for most of the southern part of the United States is scheduled for Aug. 1-4 in Houston.

Although cutting times is always an important goal for Nelson, times alone are not the only qualifying measurements for berths in the final two meets of the summer. He must win an event to qualify.

Johnson and Nelson both feel the 200 butterfly and the 1,500-meter freestyle are the two events he has the best chance of winning in the tough competition he will face in the next few weeks.

Nelson says skill and hard work are not the only elements needed to win at the state and national level. Self-confidence, he said, has helped him improve this past year.

"I have learned I can still swim faster and still improve," he said. "Then there is dedication. In this sport a swimmer has to be dedicated. The hours are long, the work hard and you miss some of the social life of others in school. However, it will pay off in the end."

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