James Freeman has been swimming laps in the Seymour High School swimming pool for as long as he can remember.
He said he signed up for swimming at an early age because his older brother, Sam, was involved in the sport.
This winter, Freeman, a senior, plans to make the 100 backstroke his main focus in the individual events.
“That’s what I swam at sectionals last year,” Freeman said. “That is probably my favorite event. It’s a lot more repetition. You have to trust yourself that you know what you are doing and how many strokes until the wall because you can’t really see where you are going.
“At practice you have to trust that if somebody is in your way that they’re going to get out of your way. I started doing the backstroke late in my sophomore year.”
His career-best in the back is 1:06.96.
He said his other individual event will probably be the 100 freestyle.
“I like the 100. The 50 is really a sprint. The 100 is a good blend of those,” Freeman said.
He swims the backstroke in the medley relay and also swims a leg in the 400 free relay.
The senior enjoys the home swim meets.
“I think it is just an advantage in your home pool,” Freeman said. “You feel comfortable. The temperature at (Columbus) North is very cold. I don’t like it for practicing, but for a race when you hit that cold water it’s just another thing that makes you want to go faster.”
During races, Freeman has worked on improving his turns.
“When I do a turn I have this problem where I only take two strokes and flip over,” Freeman said. “Sometimes I glide in, which is not a good thing to do. It’s something I’ve got to break in the coming months.
“The turn is everything. If you don’t get a good push off or you slip on the wall, or you miss the touch pad. I like to hit the wall and do butterfly kicks to really shoot off the wall. I’ve won races because of that last turn, and I’ve lost races because of it so it’s important.”
Freeman talked about the difference between the dual meets and the big, multi-team meets.
“The duals are almost more personal,” Freeman said. “The big meets are just a whole different animal because you have to think about there aren’t three other of my teammates in this event, it’s seven other guys from different teams.”
Freeman is a firm believer in the taper.
“I’d love to go to sectionals and break a minute (in the back),” Freeman said. “That is my ultimate goal. I think the taper is incredibly important because you’ve been working hard and you’re tearing down your muscles every day, and rebuilding them back.
“Taper is just a period of time that allows your body to refocus and get back into it so you can really compete hard for conference and sectionals.”
He said he has made a lot of friends through swimming.
“I’m going to remember all the friends I’ve made,” Freeman said. “Swimming is a big thing for me. Probably the most prominent is the sectional and conference. I feel like my education is going to help me in the world.”
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Name: James Freeman
High school: Seymour
Parents: Lisa Freeman, Randy Freeman
Siblings: Willie, Brent, Sam
Sports: swimming 4 years
Organizations: band
Plans after high school: attend Purdue, study mechanical engineering
Favorite food: pizza
Favorite team: Indiana Pacers
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