Olympic hopeful swimmers receive 'surreal' sendoff in St. Charles

ST. CHARLES – Swimmers habitually glance at timers or scoreboards once their races conclude, a longstanding practice of instant affirmation.

Whenever Izzy Herb, Kayla Jones and Tyler Sesvold looked up at the Norris Center natatorium Thursday morning, they spotted a close relative – constant affirmation.

The trio of St. Charles Swim Team athletes relished every supportive moment in a club-organized sendoff for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. There even was an autograph table for the group, where Jones, Herb and Sesvold realized just how much the club’s younger age group swimmers idolized them.

“I mean, it’s kind of surreal,” said Herb, a recent St. Charles East graduate. “I feel like, in a way, it’s like, ‘Do I even deserve this in this moment?’ But at the same time, it’s really great to know that there’s little kids looking up to you and you get to be a role model for people.”

Herb and Sesvold, a Wheaton Academy senior from West Chicago, will compete Tuesday in the women’s and men’s 100-meter backstroke, respectively. Jones, an East junior, swims in Monday’s women’s 100 breaststroke and the women’s 200 breaststroke on June 30.

Each qualified for the trials ahead of the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during the NCSA Junior National swim meet in Orlando, Florida in March.

Rosary senior Alexis Yager, a Batavia resident representing the Academy Bullets club, will swim in four women’s prelims: the 400 individual medley (Sunday), 100 breaststroke (Monday), 200 individual medley (Tuesday) and 200 breaststroke (June 30).

Swimmers must advance from qualifying heats to finals, then finish in the top two of his or her event to qualify for the Olympic team.

“It’s kind of like just going there, and I feel like embracing the entire experience and getting to watch these swimmers who in the next four years we want to aspire to be,” said Herb, a Miami (Ohio) recruit.

Of course, who can know what the immediate or distant future holds? As send-off emcee and SCST coach Tim Lewarchick noted in a nod to something he read on USA Swimming’s website, “a lifetime of training boils down to one race” for every athlete in attendance, including gold medalists Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps.

“I mean, like, crazy things can happen,” Jones said. “I really think we can only go up from here. Even if we don’t do as well as we want to do at trials, we’re gaining that experience that will help us going forward in the long run.”

On Thursday, there also was public speaking practice to be had. As part of the ceremony, Lewarchick asked Herb, Jones and Sesvold to address a sprightly crowd of youngsters, teens and their parents about what swimming meant to them.

American flags waved as the group told the gathering of the merits of hard work and dreams. Neither Herb nor Jones initially felt the stroke in which she’ll compete at trials was the best in her repertoire. Sesvold underwent separate ankle and shoulder surgeries in 2015.

The program ended after about 25 minutes, but there still was plenty to absorb as everyone enjoyed refreshments on the pool deck or in the stands.

“It’s just an extra boost of, ‘Let’s work faster. Let’s push faster. Let’s go,’ “ Sesvold said.

Soon enough. The SCST contingent is set to travel to Omaha on Saturday, and the athletes in that group aim to achieve not only for themselves, but the club that’s in their corner.