For some, swimming is just a hobby, but for freshman Nathan Watts, it is a lifestyle. Watts swims essentially every day, for two teams, and will swim a total of 1.3 million meters by the end of this school year.
Watts has been swimming competitively for three years with the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club (RMSC), and swam prior to that for five years. He is currently swimming with the RMSC National Training Group (NTG) outside of the RHS varsity team.
Between the RHS swim team and swimming for RMSC, Watts records over 41,000 yards a week, while also balancing a full-time high school schedule.
“It’s tough, but if you have good time management and techniques to get it all done, then you should be all right,” Watts said.
Watts has been swimming for the NTG since April 2015. According to Dave Kraft, the RMSC NTG Administrative Head Coach, the main goal for NTG swimmers is to become a Division I college swimmer and qualify for regional or national meets.
“Nathan has already qualified for Junior Nationals, so his next goals would be to qualify for Senior Nationals and [the] 2020 Olympic Trials,” Kraft said.
According to RHS Head Swim and Dive Coach Jim Castonguay, being on the RMSC team has helped Watts because he practices significantly more on the RMSC team than on the RHS team. Watts is also a good addition to the RHS team because of his ability to swim many different events.
“He gives the team flexibility in the lineup. Because he can swim most anything, we have more options to match up with the opposing teams,” Castonguay said. “He is very versatile and can swim almost any event, [including] both sprint and endurance.”
In a Dec. 10-13 RMSC meet, Watts came in first for the 200-meter backstroke, 200, 500- and 1000-meter freestyle, 200-meter medley relay and 400-meter free relay. He also came in second for the 400-meter medley relay, 400-meter individual medley and 1650-meter freestyle.
Kraft expects Watts to become a leader on the team as he continues to develop.
“Nathan has not only improved as a swimmer, but also as a person by way of his dedication to training,” Kraft said. “As his swimming accolades begin to add up, we expect Nathan to become a role model as well.”
During the divisional meet for RHS Jan. 30, Watts placed fourth in the 200-meter freestyle, second in the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle relays and first in the 500-meter freestyle.