PREP SWIMMING: HIS TIMES THEY ARE A'CHANGING SUPER SWIMS HAVE DELORIA RETHINKING FUTURE.Byline: Nevin Barich Nevin Barich (born August 6, 1979) is a former American sports journalist now working as the Senior Editor of The National Notary, a trade magazine based in Los Angeles with a circulation of more than 300,000 nationwide. Staff Writer David Deloria has shown many sides throughout his four years on the Hart High swim team, but there's one that stands out: his love for competition. Deloria, a senior 200 freestyler and 200 individual medley med·ley n. pl. med·leys 1. An often jumbled assortment; a mixture: "That night he dreamed he was traveling in a foreign country, only it seemed to be a medley of all the countries he'd ever been to and swimmer, has learned to love competing against the best. Hart has used that attitude to the fullest as the team attempts to win a Southern Section Division II title. Deloria's competitive spirit came out most recently this month. Hart was competing in the Royal Invitational in·vi·ta·tion·al adj. Restricted to invited participants: an invitational golf tournament. n. An event, especially a sports tournament, restricted to invited participants. Adj. 1. in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , one of the more prestigious regular-season meets in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, with nearly 40 schools and more than 1,200 swimmers competing. Originally, Deloria wasn't going to compete in the event because he had a recruiting trip to UC Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. the same day. But he knew some of the best swimmers in the region would be there and he wanted to test his skills against them. ``It was kind of weird,'' Deloria said. ``At first, I didn't even want to go to UC Santa Barbara and wasn't planning to take a trip there. But then the UCSB UCSB University of California at Santa Barbara UCSB University of Casual Sex and Beer coach called me, and when I told him I wasn't planning to go because of the school's academics, he talked to me about it for over an hour. In that conversation, he convinced me to take a look at the school. ``However, with the invitational, I asked if we could push the visit back to the afternoon. It was close, but I was able to do it.'' So Deloria wound up competing at Royal, staying long enough to help Hart win the 200 medley relay, place first in the 200 individual medley and finish second in the 200 freestyle. ``David has really caught fire recently,'' Hart coach Steve Neale said. ``His times the last couple of months have really dropped down.'' Deloria showed early that this was going to be a big season. After having hernia hernia, protrusion of an internal organ or part of an organ through the wall of a body cavity. The hernia is enclosed by a sac formed by the lining of the cavity. It results from a weakness or rupture in the wall, usually where there is already a natural weakness. surgery in January, he trained for a month before competing in sectionals for his club team, Canyons Aquatics. The results spoke for themselves: Deloria dropped tons of time in his events, particularly in the 200 freestyle (three seconds). The performances increased Deloria's competitiveness and goals; he's looking to earn All-America honors by the end of the season. (To do so, he needs to get a time of 1:41 in the 200 freestyle. So far, his best time is 1:43.) ``I definitely think I can do it,'' Deloria said. ``I really want to make All-American.'' Before this season, Deloria wasn't planning to swim in college. Instead, he planned to go to art school - possibly Cal Arts, which doesn't have an athletics program. However, things have changed with his breakout season and he plans to pursue the sport for at least four more years. He was planning to sign a letter of intent with UC Santa Barbara for a half-scholarship. ``David has really settled into himself,'' teammate Mike Linn linn n. Scots 1. A waterfall. 2. A steep ravine. [Scottish Gaelic linne, pool, waterfall.] said. ``He's having more fun, but he's taking it more seriously. He's gotten to feel what it's like to be a big part of a great team and it's inspired him to really reach his potential.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: David Deloria's rapid improvement at Hart has him looking to continue his swimming career at a four-year school. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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