Union County Male Swimmer of the Year

             Over the past three years, Chris DeLaFuente has been a major star of the Westfield High School men swim team.  This year, in particular, was special for Chris as he led his team to numerous victories at the county and state levels.  Westfield won the men’s Union County Championships as well as the New Jersey State Championships.  To cap off the season, Chris broke the 33-year old Union County record in the 100 yard butterfly.  And, for his accomplishments, he was awarded the title of Union County High School Male Swimmer of the Year.           

             In the following interview, Chris, also a member of the Berkeley Aquatic Club, an elite USA Swimming team, comments on balancing high school and club swimming.  Although, meeting the requirements of both teams could be difficult at times, Chris notes, “I would not have had it any other way.”  The team camaraderie, exciting competitions, as well as the dedication to his school and teammates keep Chris coming back year after year. 

hy do you participate in high school swimming? 

Westfield High School has a long history of success in swimming. We hold the most Union County Championships (51) and the most State Championships (21). I love being part of that tradition and contributing to it. On a day-to-day level, however, it’s the friends that I’ve made on the team that keep me wanting to participate.

 

escribe your high school coach’s training expectations for

swimmers who also train with a USA Swimming club.

Both club and non-club swimmers have to attend high school practice. However, my high school coach, Jeff Knight, is very flexible and understanding.  He knows that club swimmers complete a lot of yardage at their club practices.  In fact, I sometimes swim up to 16,000 yards a day at my club practices alone.  Therefore, my high school coach does not expect club swimmers to complete our entire two-hour high school workout everyday. That amount of swimming would probably only lead to injuries.  Still, we must comply

with the NJ State Interscholastic Athletic Association rules, which include practice requirements.  In order to meet state requirements without “burning out” his club swimmers, our coach might reduce the intensity of some of our practices.

 

ow has club swimming helped your high school swimming?

I would not be the high school swimmer I am today if it were not for the training with my club team.  I have developed a strong aerobic base because of the high yardage practices at Berkeley.  The practices have

                          Continued