advertisement

Swimming: Barrington's Jacobsen joins the show in Omaha

For a third consecutive time, what Barrington Swim Club coach Rob Emary refers to as "The Circus" is descending on Omaha, Neb.

The U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials begin Sunday, and Emary will be there to guide the most decorated high school distance freestyler in Illinois history, Kirsten Jacobsen.

After winning the 500-yard freestyle four straight years in the high school state meet and claiming the 200 free title three times (and establishing a state record time in that event) while representing Barrington High School, Jacobsen will join some 1,800 competitors who hope to earn a spot on the U.S. team in the Rio Games.

And what a stage it will be, for all of the competitors and fans, at the CenturyLink Center.

The U.S. Trials are widely regarded as the best swimming meet in the world in terms of overall talent. The tenth-best U.S. swimmer would be a star for most countries, but Olympic qualification limits the U.S. to two entries in individual events.

That kind of exclusivity brings a heightened sense of drama to every race. USA Swimming, the governing body for the sport, amplifies the dramatics by making the trials an attempt at all-out mass appeal entertainment.

Four years ago, the meet featured pyrotechnic displays on deck, spotlights and lasers - sort of like American Ninja Warrior meets chlorine.

The finer details of the showmanship aspect of this year's meet are being closely guarded until they're revealed in nightly coverage on NBC, but it's safe to expect a real spectacle.

All that activity can be a challenge for even the most experienced athlete. But the showier elements of the meet will largely be reserved for the finals sessions, when the efforts of established international standouts such as Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte will take center stage.

The qualifying sessions will also be intense, but more akin to the elite-level national meets in which the 18-year-old Jacobsen has competed many times already.

The meet begins Sunday, but the first of Jacobsen's swims will be the 400-meter freestyle on Monday. She'll then have the 200 free on Tuesday and the 800 free on Friday.

Her seed positions have Jacobsen 63rd in the 400 free, 82nd in the 200 free and 50th in the 800 free. That means Jacobsen earning a Rio roster spot is unlikely - but in a meet like this, there are other ways to measure success.

"We talked about it, and I think a great thing to shoot for would be to get a swim in a semifinal," said Jacobsen after one of her final pre-meet training swims at Barrington High School. "It doesn't mean things didn't go well if I'm not able to do that, but racing in one of the night sessions would be pretty great."

Emary believes having multiple events will benefit Jacobsen.

"The thing that's really remarkable about KJ is her ability to move on to the next swim, no matter what happened in the previous one," said Emary. "She's always been extremely resilient and capable of reaching the kind of heightened state of awareness you see in the great swimmers."

Emary hopes the experience continues Jacobsen's development and also acts as a road map of sorts for the Barrington program, which is starting to churn out state-record performances at the age-group level.

The club is planning a send-off for Jacobsen and her supporters at about 10 a.m. Saturday outside the Barrington pool.

The longtime high school girls swimming coach at Barrington, Jim Bart, is looking forward to seeing what Illinois' first lady of distance freestyle can accomplish.

"In one sense, it's just like any other meet," said Bart. "You're looking for best times. Any swimmer does that, everybody's happy."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.