Boys swimming: St. Charles East's Windle looks to leave with records
While the recently restarted high school boys swimming season might look a lot different on paper and in reality, for St. Charles East senior standout Calvin Windle, it's still business as usual.
Windle, a three-year state qualifier, has readjusted his goals and has several targets in plain sight - the DuKane Conference meet and some Saints school records, for starters.
"The conference meet will be the final meet for high school," said Windle, second in the state in the 200 (0.60 away from the state champion) and third in the backstroke (0.15 away from the state champion) a year ago. "I also have a couple school records in mind. I want to perform at the highest level I can."
Windle said he would like to rebreak his own St. Charles East benchmark in the 200 free and he would like to see the 500 free record have his name next to it by the time March hits.
"The 500 is another one I would like to get," he said. "I am 2 seconds away from that, so that's what I am gunning for."
Windle said another thing he'll most certainly keep an eye on is state add-ups, particularly in the 200 free. That term, in Windle's case, means scanning conference meets from around the state (the IHSA has said there will be no state series in boys swimming and diving due to the pandemic) and see how his 200 time compares to other swimmers. That practice is common in other individual sports, particularly during the postseason - giving competitors an idea of what they are going up against at the next level of competition.
"That will take a lot of hard work, but it's definitely doable," said Windle of logging a 200 free time low enough to lock horns with the best of the best in Illinois.
For Windle, the DuKane meet is far from the end of the line in terms of his swimming career. He's headed to Division I Missouri next season.
"Fortunately for me, my recruiting process wasn't affected (due to the pandemic)," said Windle, who plans on studying mathematics there. "I started the process back in June before my junior year. I didn't get to go on an official trip to Mizzou, but I was down there with family to check out the campus. I went through a pretty normal recruiting process, just no official visit. There is a great atmosphere around campus. I got to talk to the team, and really found what the coaches talked to me about inspiring and genuine. I liked the goals they had for the team and individuals. It's a program that has a direction."
But before he becomes a Tiger, Windle has one more season with his Saints teammates to hammer out.
"It's going to be really different," said Windle, who is excited that the IHSA is permitting relays to occur during the season. "As a senior, I had a chance to swim three normal high school seasons. While it will be different, the positives are I have five weeks left to make the best out of it. We will get a conference meet. The biggest thing is there is no state meet. You get what you can. We will train hard and get ready for conference. Club swimming (Windle is a member of the St. Charles Swim Team) is the place where you train hard and you love it. The atmosphere on the high school team is at a whole new level. It's fun and you are out there swimming with the guys you have known for three or four years, and even some new ones. I love getting to know the new guys and getting to see my friends. Getting back with this team has been very cool."