Having fun with the sport

Hard work in Washington water is paying off for Mason Shaw of Coeur d’Alene.

Shaw, 13, has been with the Coeur d’Alene Area Swim Team since he was 6. He’s always trying to keep up with other talented swimmers and come out on top in his events. Now, when it comes down to the block and he thinks about all the other times before him, he has his drive and knows where he needs to be to win.

“You want to be faster than everybody before you,” he said. “You want to be as fast as those guys.”

Shaw started showing his strengths about three years ago. When he kept qualifying and placing in his events, his confidence rose and he started having more fun with the sport, he said.

Glen Walshaw, head coach for the swim team, said Shaw still has room to grow as a swimmer, but his feel for the water and technique helps him swim with less strain than others his age.

“It looks easy when he swims,” he said.

He said the team used a pool in Post Falls, but now they swim at the Liberty Lake Athletic Club. While the nearest pool is miles away, the team is making a splash at sectional and regional events. Of the 50 members on the team, 13 qualified for the Northwest sectionals age group meet last month in Ellensburg and competed against 104 other teams. Overall, the team took 20th place.

Walshaw said Shaw performed well at the event, bringing home the best results of the team. He won the 100 breaststroke, took second in the 200 individual medley and third in the 400 individual medley and the 200 breaststroke.

“He’s just very talented, has some fantastic strokes and has a good feel for the water,” Walshaw said.

The team holds several practices a week, including a few starting at 5:30 a.m., to prepare for competitions. The team has plenty of help from coaches, but when it’s time to compete, Shaw has to know what to do to prepare his body for each race. Sometimes he stretches, and sometimes he jumps to keep from cooling down.

Walshaw said Shaw is always pushing himself at practice instead of taking it easy. He’s also quick to learn and apply suggestions to his skills.

Shaw attends St. John Vianney Catholic School in Spokane and is sharing swim time with soccer during the off-season. But he still makes a few practices each week to keep up his training.

“Some kids just go there and float about, but you know he’s a serious trainer,” Walshaw said. “He knows that hard work will take him places.”

Shaw said one of the best skills he’s picked up so far is his endurance because he’s able to stay afloat in the longer events at competition.

“That’s the hardest part because when everybody else is dying, you’re supposed to be going faster,” he said.

His mother, Mary Jo, said he was always motivated to make practice and enjoyed the sport from the start, she said.

When he started winning competitions, she realized how confident he was in his ability.

“How much they believe in themselves is a big part of how well they do,” she said.

Shaw hopes to stick with swimming through college. Walshaw said he’s confident Shaw will be able to swim for a Division I college if he sticks with the sport.

“He’s one of the best swimmers in the Inland Empire region,” he said.