Captain David Fitch ’17 has had an exceptional season for the Boys Swimming team. The Conway native is undefeated in the 50 and 100 Freestyle this winter and has recorded the second fastest times in school history in these events!
Fitch, a nationally-ranked swimmer, was ranked as high as 6th in New England in the 16-17 age group, and at the New England Championships last year, he came in second in 50 Free and won the 100 Free. The Williston junior currently holds pool records at our own Babcock pool, at Worcester Academy, and at St. George’s School in Rhode Island.
As the boys swim team tapers down for this year’s New England Championships on March 5th, Fitch was able to speak to us about how he developed a love for swimming, who inspired him to be at his best in the pool, and his future plans for the sport he loves. We all wish him the best as he attempts to make history in the coming weeks.
When did you first begin to love swimming?
I think I’ve always enjoyed swimming. Even as a kid I would love swimming for fun in pools. I used to think I needed a life jacket when I was in the pool. I would try to swim to the bottom of the pool with my lifejacket on, but this never worked even though I tried over and over again. I started going to swim practices when I was 8 or 9 years old, and I have been swimming in races for about 7-8 years now. I was never really excited about waking up for 5 am practices, but I really found my love for the sport somewhere in my past 5 years at Williston thanks to my coaches and teammates. I feel that both the Williston team and my recreational team have always been major supporters of everything that I do in swimming.
When did you start to pursue swimming competitively?
I never really had a sudden realization that I would pursue swimming to such an extent. When I first started out, my biggest inspiration to get up and go to those early practices was my sister, Ashley. She always inspired me to try my best whenever I felt as though I was too tired to go that day. Ashley always had the level of enthusiasm that I am constantly trying to match, and she was always positive and accepting of challenging practices and events. If I had to choose when I felt like I could be good in swimming, I’d have to say it was when I qualified for Junior Nationals. I never really thought of myself as something special in the sport, and I still don’t, but I do try to get faster and to get to that next level.
What do you think about when you swim?
In the pool I mostly think about how I am swimming, and how I can improve my stroke. In races, I focus on getting to the next wall as soon as possible, and I think about how long I’ve been on that lap. In long distance races, I try to focus on not kicking too much so that I will have enough energy for the rest of the race. I try to focus on my own race and not on anyone else around me, ahead or behind. I focus on pacing myself instead of beating the people around me so that I can go for times that I want, instead of just getting by with a win in the race.
Who has inspired you to be at your best?
My biggest inspiration from Williston would have to be the first captain I had when I came to campus. His name was Mathew Friar. Matt was a great swimmer and water polo player. He was great with all the guys on both teams and very inviting of everyone. He was the captain of the swim team as a junior, and I tried to remember to emulate his actions. My sister, Ashley, was also a big inspiration that I had in my time at Williston. Seeing her as a captain, and a leader to everyone, inspired me to want to be like her and inspire others in this sport. Her enthusiasm towards challenges has been a huge inspiration for me.
What have been your keys to success?
There are many ways to achieve success. I find that the team you’re on is the most important. You have to respect your coach to listen to him, and they have to respect you as well. The people on the team are just as important, if not more, because you have to have good positivity around you if you are going to do well in any difficult sport. You cannot be around any doubt or negativity. You have to have a positive mindset about swimming to succeed in it so you can get faster, stronger, and better. Some swimmers say that they have “plateaued” or think that they can’t get any faster, but I do not think that is real; you can always get stronger, always get smarter, and always get better. Swimming is very physical but a large part of the sport is mental; you have to know how many breaths to take and when to take them, how to do a stroke, and you can always learn to do better.
What are your goals for swimming?
My next goal would have to be to reach 20.59 in the 50 Freestyle in order to qualify for the Senior National Meet. This is one of the biggest meets in the country, and at the moment I am about .4 seconds away from making that qualifying time. I would also like to get the Williston team records in the 50 and 100 Free, and I am close to getting the 100 Fly, 200 Free, 500 Free and 200 IM as well. I have broken most of these times before, but not in a Williston meet so those times did not count towards the records. I would love to break these records, but I also want to help the rest of the team improve in any-way that I can, like help teach a stroke, work on dives and flip turns, or even just cheer for a teammate while they are racing.
How has Williston helped you grow as a student-athlete?
Williston has helped me grow academically and athletically through the support I get from my peers, teachers, and coaches. I learned the importance of working hard to achieve my goals and improve myself. Williston has taught me to help myself and to help others, and it has given me the opportunity to develop the perfect balance of time management for sports, academics and personal life.