Tuesday January 31, 2012

Augusta, Ga--The high school swimming season is winding down with state meet just around the corner. For Lakeside's Katherine Huff, that certainly won't change her focus

The Lakeside senior is not only getting ready for that, but is more focused on the Olympic Trials later on this summer. The two time state champion in the sprints will swim in probably six events when the Panthers battle for the top spot. She's learned a lot since reaching the elite level and part of it is big picture thinking.

"I've also learned that it takes more then a season." said Katherine Huff "So if you don't have a great season you have to keep on looking forward and plan for the next season and make new goals and just have new achievements. So you can't get discouraged and look at one."

When you get to the level she's at, and when you compete in events like the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke, the difference between winning and losing is fractions of a second. Every body movement will make an impact on how you finish and that's what Huff is focusing on now.

"So its really details" added Huff "If you can just snap a flip turn or do one or two more dolphin kicks off a wall, the little things count the most so for me as a sprinter, that's what I really look at."

"It's really the fundamentals" said coach Adam Byars "We keep going back to the head position, the body position and how they relate to the stroke. It's kind of what we keep talking about. Once she gets those couple of things to think about and gets that right, it makes a big difference."

Huff will also have to make the adjustment from swimming short course events, like the high school ranks, to the long course season, for the Olympic trials. She's changed her swim schedule around to incorporate more of those style of events. Before all that, she's hoping to lead Lakeside to a top five finish at the state meet in Atlanta.