Chris Wood Lake City Year: Senior Sport: Swimming Event: Freestyle Sprints

Chris Wood locates his lucky swimming goggles.

Industrial rock races through Wood’s ears prior to the start of the 50- and 100-meter freestyle sprints.

Wood rewinds Ministry’s song, “Jesus Built My Hot Rod,” three times before each race. Twice, he listens to the words. “Going all out and being crazy,” the 17-year old explained the lyrics. “I leave it playing while I’m swimming.”

Sprinting requires Wood’s all-out effort. The brief races demand virtually mistake-free performances.

Each year at the Idaho state high school championships, Wood’s met the challenge.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Wood won a fourth consecutive title in the 50 freestyle, as well as a third straight in the 100 freestyle last weekend in Idaho Falls.

Wood lowered his own state records in each, including 22.96 seconds in the 50 and 49.00 in the 100. Last year Wood went 22.19 and 47.73, respectively.

Those times aren’t even personal bests for Wood who is ranked nationally among juniors ages 15-16 with times of 21.48 and 46.73.

Wood will shoot for those personal bests, as well as collegiate exposure, at the Husky Invitational in Seattle on Dec. 2.

“The thing with the 50 free is you can’t make a mistake,” Lake City coach Carolyn MaGee said. “Chris responds really, really well to high-intensity situations. Very seldom have we been in a meet which was really crucial and he hasn’t come through. Some of it is just a very confident attitude.”

The Timberwolves entered just five boys. Powered by Wood, who also anchored two second-place relays, and 200 freestyle champ Ben Siegler, Lake City wound up third behind defending champ Boise and Nampa.

“That was a tremendous effort,” MaGee said. “I would not have dreamed with five boys we could go down there and get third.”

On the girls’ side, the Timberwolves were two points shy of defending champ Boise.

“All our swimmers swam great,” Wood said, adding that the realization of the end of a stellar high school career did make him think at state.

“Usually, I don’t get that nervous,” Wood continued. “It’s kinda fun just knowing I’m the best here; they’re trying to beat me. Personally, I like it.”

Wood built off the win in the 50. “At first I was worried,” he said of the 100. “I didn’t know the guys. After I won (earlier) that took a little bit of pressure off.”

An opponent in the 100 also erred. “I dove in and the guy stayed even with me for the first 25, then blew his turn,” Wood continued. “I took off on the second lap. You got to make sure to capitalize when somebody else does something wrong.”

Wood didn’t taper his training for state, but will prior to the Husky meet. He will be part of a Spokane relay that is trying to qualify for the senior national meet in Florida.

Wood returns to Seattle for the junior national meet in March. He just moved into the 17-18 boys age division.

Training for national competition involves weightlifting, plus morning and night practices in Spokane. Wood stays four nights a week in Spokane, then drives to school the next morning after practice.

Wood is also playing telephone-tag with college recruiters. “It’s really exciting,” he said. “I never really considered this. I thought you wrote to colleges and they send all this stuff.”

Wyoming, Alabama and Utah may be included in his on-campus visits.

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