Dylan Liu makes waves with new breaststroke record
Sophomore Dylan Liu is no stranger to pushing boundaries. At practices, she pushes her body to the limits to becom
e stronger and faster. Recently, Liu has also pushed the boundaries of what has been accomplished at Lynbrook — more specifically, breaking Lynbrook’s 100-yard breaststroke school swim record with a time of 1:04.88 minutes. This accomplishment has cemented her passion for swimming and pushed her to work even harder.
Liu started swimming competitively with De Anza Cupertino Aquatics in fifth grade. However, her journey to competitive swimming wasn’t a linear path.
“My Saratoga Star Aquatics coach told me I should join the Peak swim team because she thought that I had a lot of potential,” Liu said. “But the first time I joined, I felt like I was going to throw up during practice, so I didn’t continue. I joined a year later because she asked me again.”
Liu was glad she went through with the decision to join the second time. However, with the decision came a new level of commitment and intensity. She currently swims around 17 hours every week and has practices every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in the mornings and afternoons.
“I’ve learned commitment and perseverance,” Liu said. “It’s definitely really hard to get up at 5 a.m. and then go straight into a freezing pool, but after a while, I got used to it.”
Liu continued to train hard, dedicating countless hours to her passion. As her skills progressed, so did her goals.
“This year, I got a lot faster, and I beat the school record in my club’s pool,” Liu said. “It was kind of like doing the same in the Lynbrook pool. I knew going into it that I had a chance.”
To prepare for the meet, Liu trained in the same way she did before. Usually, before big meets, swimmers taper their practices, making them gradually easier as the date draws closer. However, Liu’s coach didn’t think this was necessary because Liu’s time was already faster than the record by a significant margin.
“We had two meets that week,” Liu said. “On Friday, I went 1:06.56 minutes, which was a new record. I felt excited because it’s something not everyone gets to experience, and I felt like my hard work had paid off.”
But Liu wanted to try again. After all, she knew she was able to swim faster. On the following Friday meet, she successfully swam an even faster time — 1:04.88 minutes.
“After you break the record, it feels really nice because everyone’s super supportive and excited for you,” Liu said. “I would say to work hard, because in the beginning, it’s a lot easier to get faster. But as you grow, it’s harder to make progress. Prioritize self care to make sure you don’t get burnt out.”
Karen Gao fulfills dream during senior night with new freestyle record
When senior Karen Gao broke the Lynbrook pool record for the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.26 seconds, she was overjoyed. While she had been training hard for this accomplishment, she was still shocked by its reality. It was a dream come true.
Gao was inspired to start swimming by her dad and her sister, who all swam competitively themselves. She joined Saratoga Star Aquatics when she was six years old, then began to swim competitively at seven and a half. Joining the Lynbrook swim team when she became a freshman was a simple decision because it was something she was already passionate about.
“I really enjoy the sport,” Gao said. “I like being in the water, so why not do it at Lynbrook? I like that we have a huge team. We can have fun during practice and chat about random things.”
Gao didn’t train specifically to break the school record. At first, she only wanted to make the Central Coast Section cut. However, she accomplished this goal faster than she expected.
“A couple weeks ago, I got my CCS cut,” Gao said. “I was super happy. When my coach and I talked about the next goal, we looked at the record board and said, ‘hey, wouldn’t it be cool if I could get a record up there?’ That became a goal not too long ago.”
For the next three weeks, Gao trained specifically to break the record. She focused on sprinting drills and resistance training.
On the day of their senior night meet, Gao was both excited and sad, because this would be her last home meet at Lynbrook forever. Although she had a goal, she focused on having fun.
“The adrenaline led me through the race, and I was really shocked when I saw my time,” Gao said. “I felt extra lucky to be on this team when my teammates gave me high fives and said congrats. It made senior night extra memorable.”
Now, Gao hopes to continue getting faster and qualify for CCS finals. Her actions have inspired others around her as well.
“Karen is always the first in the pool,” senior Iris Yu said. “She’s always working super hard. She pushes herself, but she also pushes the teammates around her, which I think is super inspirational.”
When asked about what she would tell her peers or the underclassmen on her swim team, Gao reminisces on the journey.
“Just keep working hard,” Gao said. “You never know what will happen. I definitely was not expecting this, but it was an incredible experience.”
