On days of swim meets — roughly once a week — it’s better to stay clear of San Benito swimmer Quinn Six.
On those swim days, the school record holder is in his “beast mode” and he isn’t in a talking mood.
“People tell me when I’m in my beast mode I look pissed off,” Six said. “I don’t want to talk to anyone. I sit there and listen to my music and think about my race and what I need to do.”
And through nearly four years of varsity swimming, Six’s “beast mode” has worked quite well, leading the Balers to the Central Coast Section championship in each of his first three years, including an undefeated season in 2010. The swimmer has continued his “beat mode” success this year.
In the Balers’ latest meet against North Salinas on March 23, Six broke his own school record in the 100-meter backstroke. So far this year, the Balers have yet to lose in Tri-County Athletic League meets.
“Team wise, I think we can win TCALs this year,” Six said. “I think we have a pretty strong team.”
Individually, Six hopes to improve on his record-breaking time of 55.57 in the 100-meter backstroke and earn a CCS-qualifying time in the 200-meter individual medley, he said.
“I’m ready to go and I can do better,” Six said.
And under head coach Christine Schafer’s guidance, Six and the Balers should make some noise in the postseason. Six, of course, will be the Balers essential piece.
“At this time, I would say he is the best swimmer (in our area),” Schafer said. “He is a great, all-around swimmer. He can do everything. He is good in all the events and he knows he’ll run everything for us. So he is great for the team, because at the beginning of the season — when we have kids that aren’t ready to swim — he’ll do it for them. He is a great teammate to do all that.”
Six does everything he can to help the team improve, he said. The most import thing is building the confidence of the team’s young swimmers.
“You want to get them pumped up before they get behind that block,” he said. “They need to be thinking in their heads about what they need to do. I tell them ‘lets do this and lets get the CCS cuts and go and have a good time,’ especially for the freshmen. The underclassmen we have here, they have some talent. This is just the motivation that they need. I like pumping them up.”
And Six’s work ethic is something to be desired for younger swimmers.
Six swims year round, competing for the school and his Monterey-based club.
“Year-round swimming gives me the extra work that allows me to do that,” Six said. “It’s talking to coaches after practice and working on all the little things. It’s nice to have a coach there telling you what to do — it helps. Sooner or later, you know what you’re doing. You pick it up as you get older.”
And he has done just that, said Schafer, who first met Six when he was 10.
“There is no comparison,” Schafer said “He’s got the work ethic of a competitor. When he as young, he was all about the fun.”
She continued: “He is a pretty swimmer. He just looks so pretty in the pool. His form is great.”
Swimming competitively since he was five — he stopped from nine years old to a freshman in high school to play football — Six has always been drawn to the relaxing nature of the pool.
“I like being wet,” he said. “When I get mad, or when I’m upset, I’ll jump in the pool and swim. It’s not a workout, it relaxes me. It’s cool.”
But when it comes to racing, his competitive nature — and “beast mode” — take over.
“The reason why I like to swim is because I like to race,” Six said. “My favorite part of football practice was when we did wind sprints … to see who is the fastest on the team. I guess that’s where I got the racing part and the competitive spirit.”
And swimming is in Six’s blood. His mother swam for San Jose State and started teaching Six how to swim early. Growing up, Six was always around the pool.
“Ever since I was four I’ve been around the pool,” Six said. “I would always be baby sat and I would be near the pool. I was always around the pool.”
Six hopes to be near the pool a little longer, he said. He plans to attend Mesa State in college in the next few years. But first, he wants to build his swimming ability at the Monterey Bay Swim Club.
“I’m not going to go to college right off the back,” he said. “I’m going to go to junior college and continue swimming with my club coach in Monterey. I’m going to swim with him for my two years and lower my times.”
Schafer, though, expects colleges to continue looking at the San Benito swimmer.
“There should be some opportunities afforded to him,” she said. “He should gather more attention. He is a great kid.”
