Getting her swimming legs

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Michael Pineda

November 25, 2009

Aviles finally able to swim in her senior season

Michael Pineda The Duncan Banner Wed Nov 25, 2009, 05:27 PM CST

Hayden Aviles went the water route her junior season to earn a letter. It just didn’t come off like she wanted.

Rather than compete in the water, she handed it out as a water girl following shoulder surgery that sidelined her for six months.

Now that Aviles is healthy, she is back in the pool a year later, competing as a member of the Duncan swim team.

“I just wanted to do a sport and I like swimming,” Aviles said. “It’s good exercise and it’s calming.”

Well maybe not that calming.

The first meet of the season was also Aviles’ first as a competitive swimmer. Nerves took hold and Aviles had one of those meets that she wishes she could forget, but probably won’t since it was her first.

“It was scary, I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “I had to swim the 200-meter freestyle, my least favorite event. It’s not really a sprint or long distance. It’s hard to pace yourself in an in-between race.

“I was sick to my stomach afterwards.”

In competing, Aviles has a couple of goals. First and foremost is not to finish last. Unfortunately, that is where she found herself in the first race.

The good news is that Aviles has the ability to rebound. In her second meet of the season, she finished third and knocked off 10 seconds off of her time.

“The first meet made me work harder,” she said. “I knew after that, I would have to push myself harder. I have a competitive drive and I want to push myself in the meets.”

Aviles is no stranger to competition, having competed in track and cross country in the past. Knee problems and shin splints left her looking for another sport when friends talked her into joining the swim team.

“I had a lot of doubts,” Aviles said. “I didn’t want to be the worst one on the team. One of my friends brought me here (Simmons Center) and taught me all the strokes.”

Aviles found a home on the swimming team but the wear and tear on the shoulder from swimming took its toll and she was forced out of the water onto the surgery table.

“My mom told me ‘You might as well quit now because you are having all these problems,’” Aviles said.

Instead, she rehabbed her shoulder for six months with the intent of getting back in the pool. A lot of the work came in the weight room, where she would lift for two to three hours several times a week.

The shoulder surgery did limit the events that she is able to compete in as the backstroke and butterfly are clearly off the board at this point.

Now that Aviles is back in the pool, she is gaining confidence while using the sport as an escape from the daily grind. Like many high school athletes, sports does not begin to define who she is.

“It’s a good stress reliever because I have to study pretty hard,” she said. “I am taking two college courses and chemistry.”

The chemistry comes into play for her ambitions in life. Attend the University of Oklahoma and major in pre-med. Aviles would also like to minor in photography.

Aviles is also active in her youth group and Jolly Jills, where she enjoys spending time helping others.

“I like to help the community,” Aviles said. “Right now, my church is trying to get things together for the youth shelters. In the past, we have taken a bus to hand out toys to kids. I liked seeing the kids reactions, they get so excited.”

The time to go back into the community spreading good cheer is drawing near, but there is still some unfinished business in the pool before the Christmas Break. Aviles will be back in action, looking to improve on her times now that she has learned what it takes to compete.

“My goals are that I don’t want to finish last and I want to finish,” Aviles said.

The fact that she is back in the pool after shoulder surgery has given her the right to cross the last goal off of the list.

Michael Pineda is the sports editor for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 143, or via e-mail at m.pineda@duncanbanner.com.

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