Henry Sanders is 11 years old and attends Ross Montessori. He and his family moved from Charlottesville, Virginia before he entered first grade at Ross. He’s been swimming with Team Sopris ever since arriving.
It wasn’t until his mom, Ellen Sanders, pulled up the state and national rankings that they realized his knack for the sport. In April, ahead of his 11th birthday, he was ranked first across the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in several swim categories. He ranked in the top 10 in the West for several strokes and even nationwide for few.
He recalls an early meet in Virginia when his brother told him that if he moved his arms faster he would go faster. Henry estimated that he dropped 30 seconds off his time following his big brother’s advice.
Henry is a sprinter, or short-distance swimmer. His favorite stroke is the butterfly “because that’s what I’m best at.” He also particularly excels at backstroke and the individual medley.
The young Barracuda (Team Sopris’ mascot) sang the praises of his coaches, Bob Branden, Steve Vanderhoof and Kelley Cullen. “I’m really lucky to have [these] coaches,” he stated. “They really motivate me and make it really fun.” Even when Branden can’t make it for one of Henry’s meets, he keeps in touch, coaching from afar and sending some funny trivia questions, such as, “Which U.S. President had an encounter with Bigfoot?”
Henry swims for Team Sopris but gets to spend time with other swimmers from across the country a few times a year during meets, discovering the community that comes through the sport. He leaves any ego off of the pool deck cheering on his teammates and friends he’s met along the way, including his buddy Asher who swims for the Montrose Marlins who “really pushes me and I push him,” relayed Henry.
He practices four to five times a week on average, which picks up to five or six times ahead of a meet. Over the summer, Amélie Ogilby, a prodigy swimmer herself who signed on to attend and swim for University of Santa Barbara, picks Henry up in Carbondale to make it to the Glenwood Springs Community Center pool before 6am. “Amélie likes to get there really early,” sighed Henry with a smile.
Just before his 11th birthday, when he’d be moved up to a 11-12 age division, he competed in California where “there were thousands of kids,” his mom said, and “national age group records were broken,” added dad, Dave Sanders. A few of the 15-16 competitors even qualified for the Olympic trials.
Henry placed first in each of his swims at state, with the exception of the 100 meter freestyle which he placed second in. His buddy Miles placed first, which, of course, still made Henry happy. Despite now being on the other end of the age scale, he, once again, placed first for all but one stroke at the recent Western Slope Championships.
Colorado forms a team each year, Team Colorado, made up of the best swimmers in the state based on their rankings. At 9 years old, Henry was brought on as an alternate and at 10 he was officially on the state team. His goal is to make the team this year and next for the 11-12 division.
When he is in the water, Henry is focused. “What I mainly think about is what’s coming next and what I’m going to do,” he shared. And there’s a lot to think about, from counting strokes to keep track of where you are to preparing for the next turn off of the pool wall. “When you’re on the start blocks and in the water, you’re just zoned in,” he continued. “You don’t really hear anything else. You’re just focused on your lane.”
The family is looking forward to the renovation of the John M. Fleet pool in Carbondale and is hoping it will provide six outdoor lanes so Team Sopris can practice there in the summer, and possibly host some local meets.
Henry plans to swim for the Glenwood Demons when he enters high school, for a college after that and the Olympic trials just may be in his future.
Team Sopris will hold tryouts on Sept. 3 if you know someone who is interested in joining the team. Visit www.teamsopris.org for more information.