For the past three years, LHS junior Sylvan Schoenheit has been a staple of the boys swimming team. Winning medals at state, being ranked and being a leader on the team are just a few of the accolades Schoenheit has lapped up throughout the years. 

Starting at age two, Schoenheit has been familiar with the way of the water for his whole life. 

“[I got into swimming because of] my mom and also just watching Michael Phelps,” said Schoenheit. “I want to be like him.”

Schoenheit currently competes in the individual medley, a unique event in which all strokes are used for 50 yard intervals in a total distance of 200 yards. Last year, he worked hard to place third at the Oregon state championships as a sophomore for the medley, one of his proudest moments.

Along with competing at LHS, Schoenheit does club swimming like most competitive swimmers who want to reach the next level. Lake Oswego Swim Club competes both regionally and nationally for those who qualify. 

LOSC is a much bigger time commitment compared to the LHS swim team, but the training pays off. Practicing once a week in the water at the LORAC, Schoenheit described high school swimming as a community focused on having fun putting in the work.

“Clubs are more intense,” said Schoenheit. “I mean, just last year, we were practicing seven times a week, sometimes two times a day.”

Most people don’t understand how hard swimmers work to improve their times by small margins. It’s a common rule of thumb that for each day out of the water, it takes two days to get back to that level.

“Sometimes you need some breaks though, because of burnout,” said Schoenheit.

The Oregon state championships for swim are Feb. 20 through Feb. 21 at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center.