Despite age, Weiss swims at head of team

The swimming Knights already have a State competitor in Nate Weiss.

He’s qualified in the 200 meter freestyle and the 100 backstroke. He not only leads the team statistically, he also leads emotionally.

And he’s just a freshman.

Because Weiss has been swimming competitively for almost seven years, he feels comfortable at this new level. He said high school swimming is, if anything, easier than club.

“If just feels good coming in and being able to swim with them,” Weiss said.

Weiss started swimming young because of his brother who currently holds swimming records at Central.

His brother’s influence has inspired Weiss to set a few goals of his own. He hopes to, by the end of this year, be top- eight at the State level. By the end of his senior year, however, Weiss wants the State record in the 100 meter backstroke.

Currently, Weiss needs to drop about eight seconds to achieve that goal (his current time sits at about 57 seconds), something he’s not too worried about, considering he’s young and still has plenty of physical development ahead of him.

Head coach Steve Kelly said that Weiss’s exceptional talent hasn’t given him a big head. He still wants to help the team however he can.

“He’s very enthusiastic and he wants to help the team itself,” Kelly said.

Kelly has dealt with such young talent twice before. Though he said it can be hard to coach such gifted athletes, there are always areas for them to improve.

“We look to help them maintain their workout level and look for the little things,” Kelly said.