Water 'Rock'et

Seroka's path to swimming stardom paved with hard work and talent

BY ED WRIGHT
Nov. 18, 2009, 11:30 p.m.
 
  Three mornings a week this fall, Lauren Seroka's alarm clock started buzzing around 5 a.m.

  Less than an hour later, the Salem sophomore was immersed in the school's pool, swimming laps alongside her still-waking-up teammates.

  The often-repeated routine proved that excelling in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle is anything but free.

  It requires a heavy dose of sweat equity -- something Seroka has been more than willing to deposit since she started swimming competitively several years ago.

  "You definitely have to sacrifice sleep," Seroka said, when asked what it takes to reach elite status in high school swimming. "And the night before big meets, you can't go to football games because you want to conserve energy. Time management is very important."

  Whatever Seroka has been doing has been working.

  Over the course of this season, the talented 10th-grader qualified for the Division 1 state meet in every event possible -- a feat only a handful of athletes throughout the state accomplish.

  "That's probably what I'm most proud of this year," she said, referring to her qualifying-for-every-event accomplishment. "The 50 free was the toughest for me. I kept barely missing it, but then I finally qualified in the last dual meet."

  Seroka, a 4.0 student, is a year removed from a remarkable performance at the 2008 state meet where she placed second in the 500 free and third in the 200 -- a remarkable effort for a freshman.

  Seroka's best event is the 500. Her 5:04.0 time is the second-fastest in the state this year behind Milford's Rachel Johnson's 5:01. Johnson, a senior, is the swimmer who edged Seroka at last year's state meet.

  "My goal is go below five-flat," she said. "I finished first in the 500 at the MISCA meet a couple weeks ago, but Rachel Johnson wasn't there."

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