Young swimmer is making a big splash

Nine-year-old Taylor Tucker started swimming lessons at 15 months old and began swimming competitively when she was five. Her dedication and love of the sport have resulted in some amazing accomplishments.

Tucker swam three personal best times in her individual events at The Bend Open on Saturday, August 12. Taylor posted a 40:01 in the 50-meter backstroke, a 1:15.87 in the 100 freestyle and a 1:28.74 in the 100 Individual Medley (IM).

The meet was a 25-yard pool short course meet vs. a 50-meter pool long course meet. About 50 girls from all over the state swam in the meet in the 9-10 age division. In addition to her personal bests, Taylor was a part of the winning Bend nine- and 10-year-old girls' team in the 200-yard medley relay (2:32.98) and the 200-yard freestyle relay (2:13.95).

Tucker swam anchor in the medley relay and came from behind to give her team the win.

Last month Tucker had four top five finishes at the Speedo 2006 Oregon 10 and Under Swim Championships which was held in Albany, Oregon, on July 15-16. More than 200 competitive swimmers representing some 20 teams from around the state participated in the meet.

Tucker placed second in the 50-meter backstroke with a time of 43.17, just behind state champion Angela Sampson of Eugene who finished with a time of 42.08. Tucker also took fourth in the 200- meter Individual Medley (IM) (3:24.10) and fifth in both the 200-meter freestyle (2:57:32) and 100-meter backstroke (1:35.71).

Taylor commented on her second place finish at state.

"I was happy and mad at the same time because I really wanted to get first. But, I knew I'd done well and my dad and mom were proud of me," she said.

Tucker's favorite event, despite the pressure and technical difficulty, is the 200 IM which starts with the 50-meter butterfly. The swimmer transitions to the 50-meter backstroke, followed by the 50-meter breaststroke and concludes with the 50-meter freestyle. Each 50 meters requires a specific stroke and kick, and one wrong move in either of those areas results in an immediate disqualification.

"I like the 200 IM the best because it combines all the strokes and so you get practice on all those strokes and you get better, but it's hard to remember all the techniques for each of the strokes," said Tucker. "I also like the 500 freestyle because it's the first stroke I learned, and I'm good at long distance so I like it a lot."

Tom Tucker, Taylor's dad, said, "The 200 IM is a very difficult race. It's a good indication of talent at a young age because you have to be technically proficient from stroke to stroke."

Taylor has been a member of the Bend Swim Club for the past two years and trains one hour a day three to four days per week 11 months out of the year. Prior to joining the Bend Swim Club, Tucker swam for Novaquatics in Irvine, California and SoCal Aquatics in Tustin, California.

Kim Royster, Taylor's mom, said, "Taylor swims against kids who train five to six days a week, so for her to place in the top 10 in every event against kids that swim twice the amount of time she does is pretty amazing."