Swimming relays are some of the most electric events in the pool. Epic comebacks, anchor legs dueling it out, and neck-and-neck finishes highlight these races, as teammates, coaches, and fans fuel the swimmers with the energy necessary to give it their all.
While exciting to watch for the casual fan, any swimmer knows the difficulties that go into perfecting relays of any distance. Timing is everything when entering the pool. Dive in too fast before a teammate touches the wall and the team gets disqualified from competition. Leave the blocks too slow and the team loses valuable seconds against rival relay squads. Precision is key, and practice makes perfect.
For the Springfield College swim team, relays are critical events to try to get a leg up on opponents during a meet. Men’s senior swimmer Zavier Villanueva emphasized what goes into making the perfect exchange.
“The incoming swimmer is just trying to hit the wall as fast as they possibly can,” Villanueva said. “The person jumping off the blocks is watching their hand very closely, making sure you don’t go early, because you don’t want to DQ the relay.”
In the moment, the pressure is high, not wanting to disappoint the three other swimmers in the relay. When in the heat of the race, an aggressive start can be tempting, timing the takeoff within milliseconds of the hand hitting the wall. However, leaving too soon is the ultimate disappointment, leaving the team with a high-risk, high-reward exchange. Villanueva has had his battles with determining the best time to take off.
“It really depends on who you’re going off of,” Villanueva said. “If you are timing your exchange off of the same person all the time, it’s way easier because you know how they’re going to come into the wall. But, you also have to be looking at where the other teams are. Just don’t go too early.”
Countless repetitions in practice create that familiarity amongst relay members to feel comfortable when executing a high-stress exchange for the most important meets of the year. Swimmer Natalie Norbut has leaned on her coach, Howard Hinds, to help her find that sweet spot.
“Having a coach watch is super important,” Norbut said. “You might think you went on time, but in reality, you were late. For bigger meets, we practice specifically for who is in the relay, especially for freestyle relays. It’s different because there’s someone doing a different stroke coming in that you have to watch for.”
For these significant meets, such as conference championships, Norbut feels the pressure unlike a regular season dual meet, wanting to perfect the timing to give her team the best odds of placing well.
“It’s a lot of pressure, especially for the last person going,” Norbut said. “It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is it, I’m the last one.’ I know during NEWMACs there’s even more stress and a lot of times, swimmers do end up false starting because they’re so amped up.”
Despite the added stress and pressure of performing for the team, Villanueva tries to keep his calm, enjoy the race, and have a good time with his teammates.
“There’s a lot of pressure there,” Villanueva said. “But you’ve got the whole team behind you, which makes it easier because we depend on each other. They’re counting on me; I’m counting on the guys in my relay. It just makes it a lot of fun.”
Norbut agrees that the feeling of accomplishment with a relay team is much sweeter than any feeling individually when all four members are clicking and can celebrate a victory together. While one of the most challenging skills in the sport, perfecting the art of the relay exchange is worth the rush of success once the final swimmer hits the wall.
“It’s so much better with a relay,” Norbut said. “Swimming is such an individual sport. So, when you’re on an actual team, it’s so much easier to swim for them than for just yourself. It’s so rewarding and you get to celebrate with your best friends.”