Only a small handful of the members on Boys Varsity Swim are freshmen, and Ivan Rodriguez, ’27, is one of them.
By: Lucas de Lima
With swim season in full swing, the Boys Varsity Swim roster is getting set for Redwood to compete at their East Yosemite League (EYL) meets. One of the only freshmen on this roster is Ivan Rodriguez, ’27, and he details his rise to top of Redwood swim.
“I started swimming at 7 years old, pretty much because I wanted to. It was fun,” says Rodriguez.
Rodriguez also swims for the TNT club in nearby Tulare. When asked about the difference between swimming for Redwood and TNT he says, “It’s nice because when I swim [for] club, there’s not really the team aspects, so the team aspect is nicer. [For club] it’s more competitive driven, people are a lot more focused about making times rather than just winning the race, but I like both ways, they’re both fun.”
Rodriguez has raced in the 100 Yard (Y) Backstroke, the 200Y Individual Medley (IM), the 200Y Medley Relay and 400Y Freestyle Relay so far this season. When asked about his least favorite part of a swim meet, Rodriguez says, “Having to wait for your events, easy.”
Rodriguez’s best times are 56.87 for the 100Y Freestyle, 2:06.84 for the 200Y Freestyle, 1:01.53 for the 100Y Backstroke, and 2:16.27 for the 200Y IM.
During swim season, meets are held typically once a week, usually towards the end of the week. The rest of the days are filled with after-school practices and swim sets. “[My teammates] help me push during practice because they are all good guys and they all try to go fast.”
Mitchell Dean, ’24, and Brett Peterson, ’25, are two of Rodriguez’s teammates on Varsity.
Dean and Peterson both had positive recollections of their first time meeting Rodriguez. “I knew Ivan had done club swim and so there’s not that many kids that come to Redwood doing club swim so usually we expect him to be pretty fast, as that’s his main sport,” says Dean.
Peterson says, “I really liked him, he’s hilarious and it’s really fun to swim with him during the sets.” During the 200Y Medley Relay at their meet at the Porterville Panthers on March 14, Peterson swam breaststroke while Rodriguez swam backstroke on their way to a first place finish.
“I think Ivan now understands the team dynamics and how everything works. He’s only getting faster, I think he does two practices a day these days, and he’s definitely one of the more dedicated swimmers,” says Dean.
Redwood’s next EYL meet will be against the Monache Marauders at home at the Frank Bell Community Pool on Thursday, April 4th.
Rodriguez has put up some good competition against the upperclassmen. Dean says, “I think Ivan definitely might take my spot for MVP, which would be fine though, because I respect Ivan. He’s really fast and he’s really dedicated.”
Lucas de Lima
Lucas de Lima, '25, is a proud Sports editor and author for the Redwood Gigantea. Outside of journalism, he is a part of the FBLA and FFA organizations, as well as the tennis program. You can reach him by email at lucas.de3708@vusd.us
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