Competition fierce for few spots

All of boys swimming's biggest Illinois prep prizes will be handed out poolside in the next three weeks.

All this area's teams compete in conference meets this weekend. Both St. Charles schools head to the Upstate Eight Conference meet at Neuqua Valley. Marmion travels to Fenwick for the Metro Catholic Conference meet on Saturday while West Aurora competes at the DuPage Valley Conference meet at Naperville Central.

For many swimmers, this is the start of a month-long journey, one that ends at Evanston at the Feb. 22-23 state meet. Others see their seasons end earlier. Teams may only take 2 entries per event to the Feb. 16 sectional meets. Of those swimmers, only those who swim faster than state qualifying standards or who win events progress to the state meet.

Still others sit on the bubble as the conference meets commence, making this weekend not only a potential season-ending time but also a weekend of great importance.

In other words, welcome to Marmion junior Will Butzke's world.

"Here is a kid who swam JV and made it up to the varsity this year," Marmion coach Bill Schalz said. "He's 57 now and we have another kid on the team who's been 56. Peter Flight's going to swim it and one of these two guys is going to be the other one."

The other swimmer in question is Andy Healy, a freshman and brother of swimmers who have been successful at West Aurora. The state cut in the event is 53.93.

Whichever swimmer is chosen to compete with Flight in the event at the sectional will rest, in the process known as tapering, in an attempt to make the state cut at the St. Charles North sectional.

"I want the fastest guy," Schalz said. "I'm not cheering for one swimmer or the other."

As Schalz said, either storyline heading into the sectional meet will be a good one.

"I've got a JV guy who's dedicated himself and worked really hard or I've got a freshman who gets experience in his first year that will carry him for the next three years. And if they both swim fast, they'll expect to build on it for next year."

Butzke is a classic example of what can happen when a swimmer decides to increase his dedication to his favorite sport.

"I knew the kid could race," Schalz said. "The biggest transition was the training. He still struggles with some of the sets we do. You look at a guy like Austin Cox or Tyler Capen, and those guys can bang out the tough sets when I give them."

The problem with the toughest training sequences is usually beyond the physical challenge being imposed on the athlete. Having the confidence of being able to successfully complete the task is usually half the battle. And here, Schalz said, Butzke just doesn't have the experience in conquering that challenge yet.

"In some ways, that's the biggest thing," Schalz said. "I know he can do this stuff. Then he gets into some of the harder sets in practice. It's a mental breakdown more than a physical one. That's true with any swimmer and even the good ones."

The talent, however, is there for all to see.

"When you think of where he's come in the few short week's we've been at this, he's made tremendous strides," Schalz said. "It's frustrating for both of us when he struggles. I know he wants to do it, and I want him to be able to do it too."

As good a story as Butzke is, for where he's come from to where he is now, the final decisions will be made in the water this weekend.

"I want all my guys to succeed, but I can't put both these guys on the sectional team," Schalz said. "I don't have that many spots. I want the fastest guy. It's not that I don't want Will or Andy. I want the fastest guy so we have a chance to do well in the sectional and get that second 'flyer downstate."

Neither swimmer has a guarantee of anything at this point, which makes this weekend a pure competition -- a meet within the meet.

"Our sport is pretty simple," Schalz said. "At the end of the day, I've got a time for each of them. One might be one-hundredth of a second faster, but that is the guy I will take. It's not fair to make promises. It's not fair to Swimmer A and it's not fair to Swimmer B and it's not fair to the team either."

There are a number of silver linings to this story. One is that both swimmers have gotten better this season and both return next year. Flight graduates so both will be in line to take his place, depending on how other swimmers improve in the off-season.

"Regardless of how it goes at conference, the other swimmer will probably be an alternate for our relays," Schalz said. "Both will be a part of our process as things go forward. They'll be on-deck for the sectional meet and on-deck for the state meet."

That experience at Evanston is invaluable. There is no meet in the high school calendar with the noise, the heat or the intensity of the state meet.

"They will both get to be observers and watch and get that on-deck experience to learn about the process and to get motivated."

Championship season always brings the season into focus. Marmion hopes to win the title this year. St. Charles North and St. Charles East will be among the contenders with Neuqua Valley for the UEC title. West Aurora has some talented athletes who will hope to place well at the DVC meet.

But there will also be mini-meets taking place within each team, and they could be just as interesting to watch.