The Smith brothers know how to keep practice upbeat and lively,
but when it comes to meets, the trio is all business.
The Smith brothers know how to keep practice upbeat and lively, but when it comes to meets, the trio is all business.
Christian, Joel and David Smith have been the heart of the Haybaler swim team this year and have all recorded Central Coast Section playoff qualifying times earlier this season.
It is rare when the brothers are not competing in relays with each other. All three are part of the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams.
“They’re very easy to coach, but they’re each unique,” said first-year coach Leif Nordstrom. “Christian is a hard worker and likes to have a little bit of fun. When Joel is in the water, he is all business. And David is a little bit of a clown, but he works hard. Between the three of them, they keep a pretty good balance.”
None of the Smiths did much competitive swimming before high school, but they’ve all blossomed this year.
“It is going to be fun at CCS,” said Joel, who is a sophomore. “We’ve all been working really hard together. It has been a fun season.”
Christian is pretty well balanced in all the strokes, but is especially strong in the freestyle, Nordstrom said. David’s strength is the backstroke, while Joel’s strength is the butterfly and breaststroke.
In the IM relay, David usually does the backstroke leg of the race, Joel does the butterfly, Christian does the free style and Robbie Shattuck does the breaststroke leg. In the free style relay, Blane Curtis is the fourth swimmer who swims with the brothers.
“Within their family, they cover the relays pretty well,” Nordstrom said. “They get a lot of support from their family. It is nice to be able to call on them for any event. Wherever they are needed, they are willing to swim. They follow their older brother’s lead.”
David, a freshman, held brief bragging rights in the backstroke, but normally Christian dominates his brothers.
“I beat you in the backstroke,” David boasted after a recent early morning spring break practice.
“That was only because I was tired,” Christian replied.
Christian, a senior, is considering attending University of California, Santa Barbara next year as a walk-on. But he is also waiting to here back from schools like the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Oregon.
“Christian is by far our team leader not just because he is the fastest,” Nordstrom said. “He is a hard worker when he is there. And the other swimmers can see what it takes to be fast. The hard work and extra effort is necessary.”
Christian is on pace to finish with about the same time as he did last year, Nordstrom said.
“It is hard when you are really good to make significant drops,” Nordstrom said. “He has made a few improvements that will show by the end of the year.”
Nordstrom said he was especially impressed by the progress of the younger Smiths, who are twins.
While away from the pool, the brothers also are just as close. They will often surf, boogey board or skateboard together in their free time.
“I like being around them,” Christian said. “They keep everything relaxed. This is the first year that we have swam together competitively in age group swimming.”
The Smiths moved to Hollister two years ago. Christian attended Pioneer Family Academy during his freshman and sophomore years and swam for a club team while in San Jose. It was there, he got his first taste of competitive swimming.
“It was tough with a different swim team and coach,” Christian said. “It was a little harder to train and reach some of the goals I had. I wanted to make the Olympic Trials. I don’t think I will make it this year, but I know I could have made it if I stayed in San Jose.”
Christian is the oldest of the seven Smith siblings. Even though he recently started swimming not long ago, Christian has become the leader on the team.
“I have always been more of a silent leader,” Christian said. “I have always liked to work hard. I guess I lead more by example. It has taken a lot of hard work and focus. I had a little bit of talent, but the coach at San Jose taught me a lot.”
There is not as much of a bond between the brothers as when they are playing water polo together, but a special relationship still does exist, Christian said.
“If we’re swimming on a relay, I know what they look like,” Christian said. “I know how many strokes they will take before I need to start going. So I can time my strokes a little more easily.”
Nordstrom said he plans to run the 200 freestyle team in the 400 free relay in the meet Tuesday to see if they can obtain a CCS time there as well.
“Whichever two they are best at will be what they will swim at CCS,” Nordstrom said. “I haven’t run a really fast 400. I don’t think we as a team are really strong in the 400 as we are in the other relays.”
