Blackhawk Ryan Nadeau’s effort for team pays off

What if you had a pool and nobody came to swim in it?

Ryan Nadeau knows the feeling. It had been two years since Cheney High School fielded a boys swim team, but Nadeau was determined to help bring the sport back to the Blackhawks.

After two years of him and his friends cajoling, pleading, and persuading friends and classmates, the work paid off with a boys team back in the pool this winter.

For Nadeau, it was a hard-earned reward.

“You tell people that they should come swim, and they’re like, ‘No, I don’t really feel like wearing a Speedo.’ They don’t have to wear a Speedo,” Nadeau said.

“You tell them that, but everyone is afraid of wearing one. Last year we had one guy, and that was me.

“I had to go around to all my friends asking them if they would do high school (swimming), and I had them sign a piece of paper saying they would. I gave it to our athletic director, and I guess most of them showed up. It’s hard to get enough people.”

Twenty-two showed up, in fact, more than enough for the Blackhawks to take back to the water. With the team back in the swim, Nadeau’s work with his teammates was just beginning.

“He is the team captain,” said Cheney head coach Kathryn Kafentzis, who also coaches the Blackhawk girls team. “He’s got the technical name, but even before we decided that, he’s the guy the boys that have never, ever swam before would go to asking, ‘What size suit do I need to order?’ “

Despite all the work out of the pool, the Cheney junior has managed to lead the team in the water too. Nadeau, who swam club for the Eastern Washington Recreation Association Hurricanes his first two years of high school, is the Blackhawks surest bet to qualify for the state swim meet.

Nadeau’s primary events are the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley, and he also will swim two relays at the district meet Feb. 3 and 4.

“He’s very, very close in both of his individual events,” Kafentzis said. “I think, at least in the 100 butterfly, that he’ll be able to hit that before the end of the season.

“His 200 IM, I think he can hit that when we rest a little bit before our district championship meet.”

For Nadeau, the team’s success has surpassed anything he could do individually in the pool this winter, as the Blackhawks have won two dual meets, including a win at Sunnyside last weekend.

“I didn’t think we were going to do as well,” he said. “I didn’t think we were going to win any meets this year, but we’ve won two out of five.”

His coach is hoping some of his teammates will make the trip with him to state as well.

“By putting together the right four guys, I’m hoping we might be able to sneak in there for first or second place and take them to state,” Kafentzis said.

“It’s not very fun to go to state by yourself. It’s much more fun to go with at least three other guys.

“I think that would be tremendous. I think it would really put them in the spotlight with their schools and with their peers, to let them see that ‘Wow, you can do really amazing things in swimming.’

“It kind of puts it on the level of any other sport like basketball, wrestling or any other sports going on right now.”

Judging by the fact Nadeau and the Blackhawks are competing in swimming at all, the season already could be called a winner.