Manta Rays headed to meet in Utah
Five swimmers from the Moses Lake Manta Rays take a dip at their final practice before the Western Zones meet in Utah. Front to back: Heidi Anderson, Natilee Ruiz, Stephanie McFarland, Erica Anderson and Mario Polito.<br>David Smithburg/Columbia Basin Herald
Swimmers have common bond of tough practices
MOSES LAKE — Five swimmers from the Moses Lake Manta Rays headed to Utah on Sunday to compete in the Western Zones.
Mario Polito, Stephanie McFarland, Natilee Ruiz and Erica and Heidi Anderson all compete in different age groups. The Zones experience is rare for kids their age and they know it. They also know about the hard work and early mornings required of each swimmer to reach Utah.
Each swimmer's story differs in how they got started.
Polito is the oldest of the five and started swimming a bit late, at nine years old.
He joined competitive swim because he did not have the hand-eye coordination for competing in ball sports football, baseball, basketball and soccer and he did not like running.
Polito said the Monday through Friday practices and weekend meets do put a crimp in his social life, but he grudgingly accepts it.
Youngest of the bunch, Heidi has a slightly different perspective.
She wants to sleep in during the summer but can't because practice takes place so early in the morning.
In the same breath she talks about how she begged her parents to let her join the Manta Rays because she craved the attention her older sister Erica received swimming for the Manta Rays.
Now, Heidi is competing in Western Zones and wants to swim faster than the team Manta Rays team motivator Cari Cortez, in the 50 and 100 meter freestyle.
Erica swam for almost five years. She has the typical desire of girls her age to socialize with friends and lounge around during the summer. But she can't have anything of the sort.
Erica's goal for Zones is to drop time, beat a lot of swimmers, make it to the finals and keep up with Ruiz.
McFarland is the oldest of the girls and says she joined because she was a chubby kid.
Her favorite part about the Manta Rays is that she is the oldest and the other girls are like little sisters to her.
Her chances of competing are in doubt because she is still recovering from a shoulder injury and will not decide if she will compete until the day of the meet.
"I am 80 to 85 percent right now," McFarland said.
Ruiz has a slightly different perspective because she is relatively new to the yearly grind that Manta Rays swimming can be. This is her first summer with the club.
Ruiz loves competing against the other swimmers. She is not satisfied unless she gets first or second place in a race.
She also laments birthday parties missed but said it is worth it.
McFarland also points out that she loves swimming because she likes being in shape. Everyone else chimes in and agrees with her.
Western Zones starts today and finishes on the Saturday.