Smith takes unusual route to become a swimming star

Swimming wasn't Nick Smith's first choice of a sport, nor was it his second. In fact, the St. Charles North senior never really considered the sport seriously.

Yet here is Smith, with a state championship medal at home thanks to his participation in the 200-yard medley relay at last year's state meet. And Smith figures to swim in college when he finally makes the decision as to where to attend.

So how did all this happen to an athlete who was a football player first and a lacrosse player second as a freshman?

It all started one day in gym class, when Rob Rooney - who happens to be the North Stars boys swimming coach - saw Smith in the water.

"He had speed," Rooney said. "At that time, we were really starving for kids. I had this goal that every year, I'd get five or six kids out of a PE class. I haven't had that luck the last couple of years, and hopefully we can have that again in the future because we really need it."

For his part, Smith was willing to try the sport, even though he admits it hadn't ever crossed his mind.

"I like to swim, but I never thought I was that good at it," Smith said. "I knew how to swim freestyle, but that was it. Everything that I've learned has been through Rooney's coaching."

Once upon a time, when there was only one school in town, Dave Bart annually plucked kids from PE class and made state qualifying swimmers of them. That process continues at both schools, though the area club teams provide the vast majority of swimmers for both the Saints and North Stars. Smith is, however, not the only star former PE swimmer who is likely to stand on deck at the state meet next month.

"He's a lot like Adam Carnell over at East," Rooney said. "It's funny how it turns out, but two of the best kids swimming this year in St. Charles are guys who got recruited from gym class."

When Smith came home, he got support in attempting his new venture. But behind his back, the image of early morning practice, evening practice and all the other associated extra water and weight work left his family in no uncertain terms as to how long he'd be involved.

"Mom didn't think I was going to make more than a week," Smith said. "She talked to my dad behind my back and said 'give him a week.' I lasted a little bit longer than that."

Something happened in that time, and Smith never looked back.

"There's something that drives me in swimming that I haven't felt in any other sport," Smith said. "I found that I had some natural talent for it. And I have this tenacity for swimming fast."

Four years later, Smith is a co-captain of the North Stars team. And he was part of that championship team. He swam the freestyle leg, which is also the anchor leg, of the medley relay last year with teammates John Higgins, Dan Stanek and Jimmy Brooks. They tore through the water and finished in 1:35.00, well ahead of second-place New Trier's 1:36.49 time.

Smith also qualified in his specialty, the 50 freestyle. This year, he has hopes of placing in the 50 free, will swim the 100 free as well as relays for the North Stars. His season was boosted by a strong summer, in which he made a junior-national cut in the 50 freestyle.

"I just missed that cut at the state meet, so I went to junior nationals, and was amazed at the quality of competition at that meet," Smith said.

This season has gone well. Smith's best in-season time in the 50 freestyle was just over 23.0. This year, he has reached 22.1, and he has yet to begin the resting process known as tapering. After a season of intense training, a rest before the IHSA sectional and state meets always produces large time drops.

The top four finishers in last year's 50 freestyle graduated. The top returning athlete in the event is Glenbrook South's Dominik Cubelic, who is a junior this year. Marmion junior Matt Pircon is also likely to be a contender in the event.

One thing Smith did was to find some role models on the North Stars team. First he followed Bobby Force, who graduated in 2007 and was one of the key components to the team's rise to trophy contention.

"When he was a junior and senior, (Force) would take me to practice every single day," Smith said. "He was a big motivator. I looked up to him, being a little guy and not knowing anything. He was cool and I liked watching him swim."

Then Smith hung around with Brooks, who was one of the elements that drove the North Stars to another strong finish last year.

"(Brooks) is a lot like my brother," Smith said. "I talk to him all the time now that he's in college. I still see him, hang out with him and he's one of my good friends." This year, Smith and Stanek are two of four seniors on the sectional team - along with Alex Peterson and Jason Edgar.

One thing no one had to teach Smith was how to work hard. And with that, he shares the common bond with all successful swimmers. His work in the weight room carried that same intensity, which is essential for a sprinter.

"He's got your sprinter attitude to it too," Smith said. "He is flawless in the weight room. He's got that attitude with his strength and fitness that's going to see him do well."

There is a sense that Smith reached swimming at a point when he was ready to try the sport. Rooney isn't sure that he would have had the required early success to keep him interested if he had started as a grade schooler.

"As a little kid, you've got to have a little success to get yourself believing in the whole thing," Rooney said. "His strength is definitely what's helped him, and that's come about in high school."

Still, despite four years as a varsity swimmer, it has taken Smith some time to reach his full potential.

"I'm just starting to see it now," Rooney said. "The way he approaches walls and streamlines. I am seeing things in practice now that make me realize what we're going to see in the future."

Along the way, swimming became a family affair in the Smith household. Younger sister Allie was part of a state qualifying 200 freestyle relay that finished 15th in preliminaries last fall and just missed qualifying for finals.

"She actually started swimming before I did," Smith said. "She was into it, but I had never thought of it. She has seen me grow as a swimmer and become even more motivated. She's doing just amazing. Dinner, every single night, we talk, complain and joke about swimming."

Getting Smith athletes of gym class may not have been the preferred method of recruitment for Rooney. But he's happy he found Nick Smith four years ago and is certainly going to rely on him in the sprints in the next month.

"I would prefer that the kids come through the club ranks," Rooney said. "But here's a kid who you need on every team. You can point to any kid on our team and say 'That kid could barely swim as a freshman. But look at his drive, his determination and his attitude and what it's got him."