Swimming toward state

Sports

Related Photos

Ben Whitehead

December 3, 2009

Ben Whitehead The Duncan Banner Thu Dec 03, 2009, 11:46 PM CST

When Duncan High swimmer Bryce Sepulvado first came out to swim practice, his intention wasn’t to fall in love with swimming and give up a sport he had played since the time he was four years old.

Sepulvado was hoping to stay active during the fall and winter seasons and get in shape by the time baseball season came around.

Instead, Sepulvado found the sport he truly loved and has pushed himself harder each day to perfect his swimming technique.

“At first, it was hard,” Sepulvado said of his first swim practice. “It wasn’t what I expected, but now I love it and I’m trying to reach my goals of winning state.”

Sepulvado credits his coaches and teammates for their encouragement. He also believes his time in College Station, Texas was a big help going into his senior season.

Sepulvado along with several other Demon swimmers attended a swim camp at Texas A&M; over the summer. The camp put some things in perspective for Sepulvado.

“We were split up into groups and all of us decided to go in the harder group because we thought we could handle it,” he said. “After the first morning workout, we dropped down to the next group. That made me realize how much I needed to work.”

Sepulvado said that the swimmers were filmed at camp and were able to watch themselves to learn of their mistakes.

“That was big for me because they could film us underwater and then show us what we did wrong,” Sepulvado said. “That was the first time I’ve seen myself like that and it definitely helped me see the things I was doing wrong in my stroke.”

Sepulvado watched Michael Phelps during the 2008 Summer Olympics. He said seeing how good Phelps is really motivated him to work harder.

“His stroke is so smooth,” Sepulvado said of Phelps. “It got me really excited about swimming in my senior year. I really want to push myself to get better.”

Sepulvado has already qualified for state in the 50-meter freestyle. He has been a part of three Demon relay groups that have qualified as well.

There are two more events in which Sepulvado is shooting to qualify. The first being the 100-meter freestyle where he came four-tenths of a second short of qualifying in his last meet.

The other is the 100-meter butterfly, an event he has yet to swim this season. Last yar, Sepulvado was five seconds off the state qualifying time. He will swim the event for the first time this season at the Joe Stocker Invitational this weekend in Oklahoma City.

Sepulvado said the remainder of the season will be used to push himself hard to improve his times and get ready for state.

Sepulvado’s father has been one of his biggest motivators. He says he talks to him after every meet and gives him constructive criticism. He uses what his father says and works every day in practice to perfect his miscues.

After his high school swimming days are over, Sepulvado would like to follow in his dad’s footsteps. Sepulvado’s dad works for Halliburton as an engineer. The younger Sepulvado plans to major in architectural engineering at Oklahoma State University.

“When I first got my acceptance letter, I was pretty excited. It was the first time I felt like a senior,” he said. “I used to work at a golf course and I’d like to design some golf courses of my own one day.

“If OSU had a swim team, I’d try to walk on. Since they don’t, I’ll just focus on my major and working hard in college.”

-Ben Whitehead is a sports writer for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 255-5354, Ext. 165, or via E-mail at ben.whitehead@duncanbanner.com.

Text Only

Sports

Duncan hosts Altus tonight
ometimes it’s not how hard you fall, it’s how fast you get back up.
After a tough overtime loss Friday night at Lawton MacArthur, the No. 14 Duncan Lady Demons (14-7) will look to rebound this evening against the No. 11 Altus Lady Bulldogs (12-6) with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. from Duncan Gymnasium.

February 6, 2012
Bray hands Turner its first loss
The Bray-Doyle Lady Donkeys picked up one last shot of momentum Monday night before heading into the Class A district tournament.
The Lady Donkeys took control early and never let up, topping previously unbeaten Turner, 68-51 at home on senior night to finish the regular season on a five-game winning streak.

February 6, 2012
Velma-Alma rolls Healdton, 52-36
Make it six in a row for the Velma-Alma Lady Comets.
Senior Night proved to be quite beneficial for V-A thanks to a strong second half, which broke open a close game, giving the Lady Comets a 52-36 victory over the Healdton Lady Bulldogs.

February 6, 2012 1 Photo
UNTARNISHED
Monday night saw the No. 4 Velma-Alma Comets send a clear message to the rest of the field in the playoffs: The road to Oklahoma City will run through Velma, one way or another.
V-A wasted no time in dismantling the Healdton Bulldogs on Senior night, as the Comets finished the regular season 23-0, thanks to a 72-12 victory.

February 6, 2012 1 Photo
Encore Performance
Just like four years ago, Eli Manning and the Giants orchestrated an impressive late fourth-quarter drive to overtake the lead and the Patriots couldn’t answer in the final minute, handing the Super Bowl championship to the New York, 21-17 on Sunday night.

February 5, 2012
Carletti-Silva commits to Army
Duncan High School senior quarterback Brandon Carletti-Silva has given a verbal commitment to the United States Military Academy — better known in the sports world as Army — and plans to make his decision official on Wednesday.

February 5, 2012
Comets try to complete regular season perfection
Throughout the season, V-A has defied the odds, beating every team set in their way, resulting in a perfect 22-0 record.
Tonight, the Comets will look to finish their regular season unblemished as they host Healdton (1-14) at 8:30 p.m. for Senior Night.

February 5, 2012 1 Photo
Allen-Smith 3 seals win for Comanche girls
If there was one lesson the Comanche Lady Indians can take away from Friday night’s game against Lone Grove, it’s never judge a team by it’s overall record. LGHS didn’t play like a team with a 3-12 record, instead the Lady Longhorns looked like a team hungry for momentum.

February 4, 2012 1 Photo
Indians fall to Lone Grove
There was only one certainty to come out of Comanche’s game with Lone Grove Friday night. CHS will be glad to not see the Longhorns again this season.
LGHS broke open a close game in the first quarter and never looked back, coming away with a 68-49 victory over the Indians.

February 4, 2012 1 Photo
Duncan girls fall in OT to MacArthur
Duncan’s seven-game win steak was on life support Friday night at Lawton MacArthur.
For a moment it looked like the streak was going to make a turnaround, but in the end, it didn’t pull through as the Lady Demons fell in overtime to the Lady Highlanders, 67-62.

February 4, 2012 1 Photo
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

Related Photos

Swimming toward state

Oklahoma Republicans seek sweeping changes that could lead to an end to the state income tax. Do you favor ending the income tax, oppose ending the tax or need more information before making a decision?

Site Map

Contact Us