Brookland–Cayce swimmer Brandon Smith Three years ago Brandon Smith decided he wanted to try swimming because it was something new. At first he wasn’t very good and was not even able to swim the full length of the pool.

“His first year, he didn’t know any strokes. He’s all muscle and no fat so he sunk to the bottom of the pool,” Brookland–Cayce swimming coach Sarah Lowery said.

However, he didn’t let that discourage him.

Since then, Smith hasn’t missed a practice and says that he lives in the pool. His dedication has paid off. In his second year, Smith was swimming mostly freestyle and was only used as a sprinter. However, in his third year, not only is Brandon the captain of the swimming team, he is also adding a couple of other strokes to his arsenal. Smith says he can swim the breast and back stroke and continues to work on his butterfly stroke.

He credits Lowery with helping him stay focused on the task at hand.

“She always pushes me, putting me with harder and faster swimmers. She stays on me.”

It is his preparation leading up to a match that Smith enjoys most about swimming. He is nervous before each match, but, as he takes his position, Smith says he enjoys sizing up his competition and the voice of the official instructing the swimmers to take their position. Once he is in the pool, Smith enjoys the silence the pool provides.

As Smith enters his senior year, he has high expectations for himself. Both he and his coach believe he has a shot at reaching the State Finals. Brandon places his chances at 50 percent.

Whether he makes it that far or not, there is no denying the impact that Brandon has on the team.

“His impact goes beyond his times. He impacts the moral of the other swimmers. He leads through example.”

Lowery says that Smith’s biggest impact may be the role model he is to the younger swimmers.

Among his achievements, Smith says increasing his time ranks among the highest. However, he is disappointed when he sees his teammates not taking the sport as serious as he does, or he feels that he didn’t give it his all.

Along with swimming, Smith has also participated in fencing, martial arts, track, and rifling. He was named a sharp shooter in his first year with the rifling team. This winter, he plans to try out for the wrestling team.

The more Smith talks about swimming, the more his passion for the sport becomes clear, but he doesn’t know if it is necessarily a long term goal to continue swimming in college.

For Smith, his senior year is a culmination of three years of hard work, determination, and dedication.

“Whether he makes state or not, I’m proud of the progress that he’s made and how far he’s come,” Lowery says.

The Brookland–Cayce swim team has already had its first meet of the season. Smith finished third in the 50 freestyle and fourth in the 100 freestyle. He was also the fourth leg, otherwise known as the anchor, on the relay team that finished second.