During the fall of his freshman year at Seymour High School, some of Brady Westfall’s friends encouraged him to go out for the swimming team.

He took the plunge, and has enjoyed his time in the water ever since.

“Coach (Dave) Boggs makes us try a lot of events and I just fit into sprinting,” Westfall said. “I like the 50 freestyle. It’s quick. You get that adrenaline rush.

“It’s definitely a good activity to get into. From the new people you meet, to the family on the swim team, to the exercise. It’s all really good.”

Westfall said his best 50 time has been 24 seconds.

“I also enjoyed the adrenaline rush when swimming the 100, but you also have to save that last bit of energy for that last leg,” he said.

The senior also races in the 200 and 400 free relays.

Westfall said his events are spaced out throughout the meets and he has enough recovery time to prepare for his next race.

He enjoys swimming in the SHS pool.

“I love those meets. We have some of the best crowds,” Westfall said.

He said memories from the senior night meet against Columbus East will stay with him for a long time.

“I couldn’t ask for a better senior night,” Westfall said. “The fans, my family, friends just being around, the energy was great.”

Westfall said he looks forward to competing in the Hoosier Hills Conference meet in the SHS pool on Saturday.

“I want to drop at least a second on my 50, and drop at least another second on my 100,” he said.

He said when he prepares for a meet he mainly works on turns because the walls are different.

The boys will began their taper this week.

“Practice is really important. If you take a day off it’s really hard to recover from it,” Westfall said. “It’s a whole different aspect. Coach tells us to stretch over the weekends when we don’t have practice (Sundays) and do a couple other things to keep us ready. The mental part of sports is definitely important.”

Westfall enjoys his teammates.

“The swim team is like a big family so we teach each other with respect,” Westfall said. “I love the fact that I can us my energy in a way that I can propel myself faster, and work on the techniques that coach gives us.”

He said he has enjoyed being a student at SHS. During the afternoons he takes criminal justice classes in the C4 program at Columbus.

“It is really emotional because you don’t know if you ever going to see these guys again. It’s been a lot of fun and I‘m ready to finish out the year strong,” Westfall said.

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Name: Brady Westfall

High school: Seymour

Parents: Christa and Brady Westfall

Siblings: Alex, Haley, Logan

Sports: swimming 4 years, football 1 year

Organizations: choir, youth group

Plans after high school: enlist in Navy

Favorite food: tacos

Favorite teams: Indiana Pacers, San Francisco 49ers

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