Vandebilt swimmer enjoying championships, camaraderie

With all the time Taylor Theriot spends in the water, one would think he had gills.

Theriot trains at the Ellendale swimming pool six days a week as a senior on the Vandebilt Catholic boys’ swimming team

And the hard work has certainly paid off.

Theriot’s time of 53.65 in the 100-meter butterfly earned him a state title last year and attracted the attention of some major collegiate swimming programs.

He also helped lead the boys’ squad to its fifth consecutive Division II championship.

The Sports Net sat down with Theriot last week to discuss his devotion to swimming.

Sports Net: You’re at the Ellendale pool a lot these days. Getting sick of the water?

Taylor Theriot: No. It’s something that I enjoy doing and I’ve been doing it for 10 years. I enjoy being out there, helping out the team and doing whatever I can because we have a small program here. So, anything to build up the program.

SN: So the smell of chlorine doesn’t bother you at all?

TT: (Laughs) No. I’m immune to it.

SN: Talk about the season? How do both of the teams look thus far?

TT: We (boys’ team) swam againstJesuit last week, and we knew they were going to beat us. But we swam really good and a lot of the guys on the team had really good times, so I really think this year is shaping up really well.

SN: Is this one of the better boys’ teams you’ve been a part of?

TT: Actually, last year’s team was probably the best just because of the swimmers we had and the numbers – a lot of seniors who had been swimming since they were itty-bitty. This year’s boys’ team is really solid, but we just don’t have the numbers we had last year.

SN: And the girls’ team?

TT: They’re looking fantastic.

SN: State champs?

TT: Oh yeah. No problem.

SN: So when did you get your start in swimming?

TT: My family has always been around the water, and I’ve always been swimming, fishing, playing water sports or whatever. My mom just decided that I needed to learn to do things right and I started taking swimming lessons when I was about 6 years old…

SN: Were you scared of the water at first?

TT: Oh no. I’ve never been scared of the water. And then I took lessons for two or three years and then one of my friends told me about the summer league program, and I swam on that, and then I joined coach Shepard’s program and then I came to high school.

SN: Were you a natural right off the bat?

TT: I picked it up pretty quick. One of my first years in swimming, people were talking about how I could really go somewhere with the sport.

SN: A lot of swimmers shave their legs. Catch any crap from your non-swimming buddies at school?

TT: When we were younger, we used to get a lot of crap about it, but it’s not too big of a deal anymore. It’s just part of the sport. It helps you reduce drag or whatever – it’s just something you do. We don’t catch that much grief about it anymore. It’s more funny.

SN: Even though you’re a state champion, have you ever had any embarrassing moments in the pool?

TT: We were at my second USA meet on the Barracudas, and I was new to the whole big-time, all-weekend long (meet). I was late to the second race of the meet, I think it was, and I had somebody’s else’s swimsuit on because I had forgot all of my stuff. So I got on the block’s, dove in and the suit came off around my ankles. That was probably my most embarrassing moment.

SN: How many people witnessed this?

TT: It was a pretty big meet. Probably 400-500 people were there. Don’t know how many people were watching though.

SN: So how did you recover?

TT: (Laughs) I just stopped, pulled them back up and kept on going. I just remember getting out of the pool, not looking at anybody and just walking. This was probably when I was in the sixth grade.

SN: Any repercussions from this incident? Haunting reoccurring dreams?

TT: (Laughs) No. It takes a lot to embarrass me.

SN: Do swimmers get more ear infections than other athletes?

TT: I get swimmer’s ear a lot. It’s an ear infection that makes a different part of your ear sore than an ear infection. As a swimmer, it’s just something you have to deal with.

SN: When you graduate, what will you miss most about being a Terrier?

TT: I don’t know what it is about the swim team, but we’ve all always been really close – especially the group I’ve been with for a long time swimming. They’re like my brothers and sisters. It’s like a family. That’s probably one of the things that I’ll miss the most.

And I also have a lot of school pride, not just for the swim team. I paint myself for all of the football games and I try to make all the other team stuff whenever I can and I’m going to miss being a Terrier.

SN: Even more than the state championships?

TT: More than anything, it’s going to be about missing everybody. Don’t get me wrong – winning the state championships is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. But I’m really going to miss the friends and the atmosphere of just being here.

Taylor Theriot loves being part of a winning tradition at Vandebilt, but especially relishes the friendships he’s formed with his teammates. (Photo by Chris Scarnati

• Tri-Parish Times)