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Demon team of four strives for excellence

Jeff CaspersenGlenwood Springs, CO Colorado

Glenwood’s boys swim team doesn’t even think about competing for team titles. There’s really no point. Not when the Demon team has consisted of no more than six swimmers this season.The Demons took to the Glenwood Springs Community Center Pool with just four swimmers on Friday, holding their own against Delta and Montrose with a number of solid individual and relay performances.It’s clear the only numbers these swimmers fret over are their times, not how many people are on the team. “It’s difficult, but we’re not shooting so much to win meets. What we really have to focus on is how well we’re doing individually,” senior Bryce McDermott said. “Everyone’s swimming really well.”Why so few swimmers? There are a number of possible reasons. Perhaps it’s the pull of the more mainstream sports offered at the same time, like baseball or track. Or maybe it’s the dedication involved. To be a good swimmer, you have to put in tons of training time. That means early mornings.”Getting up at 5 o’clock makes it even more challenging,” Glenwood coach Keith Giezentanner said. “That’s a tough time for anyone.”But a handful of area boys love swimming enough to compete at the high school level. Freshman Alex Moore is one of them.”I thought it was fun,” he began. “I joined the (Sopris) Barracudas (club team) five years ago. At first, I was not all too enthralled with the idea, but I stuck with it.”Same with Jamie Giezentanner – son of coach Giezentanner – and Bryce McDermott. And Raphael Joly, who travels from Avon to attend practices and meets.”I really like (swimming),” Jamie Giezentanner said. “In other sports – football, soccer – you can only play one position, but with swimming you can do just about every single stroke.”None seem all too discouraged by the low numbers, though most wouldn’t mind a few more teammates. That doesn’t serve as a roadblock to the Demons’ success, though.”We still have guys that make state every year,” Jamie Giezentanner said. “We always make state in relays. A few more people every once in a while would be nice. Points are nice, but as long as you have fun, it doesn’t matter.”And his dad just seems happy to be coaching, whether it’s a team of four or 20.Said the elder Giezentanner: “When you see these guys do well, really exceed their expectations, it makes it all worthwhile.”


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