craigdailypress.com

LOVELAND -- The times are in their heads.

The plans for the off-season are made.

Five minutes after their last event at the Class 4A state swim meet, the five seniors-to-be on next year's Moffat County High School boys swim team already were preparing for a year later.

"We were all watching this year to see what it was going to take," Zach Vorhies said. "Next year, we're going to have swimmers in the finals of eight events."

The Bulldogs scored 34 points and had swimmers in four consolation events at the Class 4A state swim meet. As far as they're concerned, it's just a start.

"You can see that difference between us and the big year-round clubs is the stamina beyond 50 meters," coach Jim Vorhies said. "The guys really want to get in the pool together and work for next season."

Zach Vorhies also said that getting in the weight room will be beneficial.

"All of us started to lift this year, and it made a difference," he said. "We're all going to be bigger next year."

Nick Ruckman, who just missed getting into the top 16 last year in the 100-meter butterfly and finished 10th this year, said he's looking forward to seeing what he can do next year in that event.

"I hardly ever practice the fly in practice so I need to do that more," he said. "I would like to be in the top three."

Throughout the meet as times were turned in, the Bulldogs would turn to each other and say that the winning split is what they needed to get to next year.

"These guys talked a lot about next year today," coach Jim Vorhies said. "They're already wanting it to come."

First comes the work needed to make a club that swims in the summer and spring competitive with ones that train all year-round.

"I need more stamina," said Chris Compton, who finished 14th in the 100 backstroke after finishing 16th his freshman and sophomore years. "We all need to start working a bit earlier."

Coach Vorhies said that the team already had plans to swim together a couple of times a week in the summer.

With six school records set by this year's team and all of the swimmers returning, even better things are expected.

"I think what they can do is almost limitless if they have the same attitude they had this year," coach Vorhies said.

"If there is any group to do that it is these guys."