JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
Hempfield junior Sarah Ault says she didn’t have much fun in the pool last season — and she still had a successful year. Her objective this season: Have fun in the pool again. And she’s hoping that fun will include a bundle of medals in the postseason. Here is my story on Ault from our swimming preview package:
She is one of the most decorated swimmers in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
She is a four-time L-L League sprint champ, a two-time District 3 Triple-A sprint champ, has four top-nine finishes in PIAA individual competition, and she’s a two-time All-American.
And she’s only a junior.
So what’s bugging Hempfield’s Sarah Ault?
She said she didn’t have much fun in the pool last season, even though she repeated as the L-L League 50 and 100 freestyle champ, took the silver in the 50 and the 100 free in the district meet, and finished fifth in the state in the 100 free.
Ault’s goal this season: Make swimming fun again, like in her breakout freshman season, when she won the 50 free and 100 free in the L-L Meet and in the District 3 Triple-A Meet.
“Freshman year,” Ault said, “I had nothing to lose.”
And she swam like it, bursting onto the scene – and setting her own bar extremely high in the process.
“She won those four gold medals as a freshman,” Hempfield coach Steve Beck said. “So realistically, the only way to go was down. After that, everyone was gunning for her.”
Ault, who holds the school record in the 50 free — 23.89, set last season — found that out the hard way last season. After defending her sprint crowns in the L-L League Meet, she slipped to second in those events in the district meet.
Not a huge drop off in the grand scheme of things, but she didn’t win after breezing to those titles just a year earlier.
“I struggled with the whole reputation thing last year,” Ault admitted. “I think it messed with my mind a little bit. So I want to get back to just having fun. I had a miserable season last year because I didn’t have fun. So I want to relax and not worry.
“I’d like to get back to the way it was my freshman year, because last year, I felt like I had to do what I did my freshman year – or better – and that sort of screwed me up.”
After switching club teams – Ault is currently with the West Shore Y – and doing some soul searching, she has a fresh attitude and has her sights set on a big junior season.
So how has Ault been recapturing the mojo of her freshman season?
“I don’t think,” she said, chuckling. “I used to be on the blocks and I’d look at her and I’d look over at her. I struggled with that last year. Right now I’m thinking about how fast I can go, and I’m thinking about going all out. If I don’t think, I’m faster.”
Faster is good, especially in late February and early March, when the big three meets – L-L League, District 3 and PIAA – roll around. That’s when Ault wants to be her fastest.
“Sarah needs to swim and not think,” Beck said. “She needs to get on the blocks and say to herself, ‘Hey, just get to the wall first.’ Her focus so far this season is on racing – being in a bubble and not worrying about what’s going on around her.
“We’re calling her Bubble Girl. If she can stay in that bubble, stay focused and just race, watch out.”
If Ault can just have fun again – and keep that newfound tunnel vision – opposing swimmers won’t have much fun swimming against her in the coming months.
“You have to want to win,” Ault said. “You have to want to touch the wall first. You need that desire to go for it – and the desire to work for it. I have that desire.”
