By Matt Browning
At last season’s Class 5-1A Tournament, Andover’s Blake Royse took second in the 500 freestyle and fifth in the 200 freestyle.
Improving in both of those events is Royse’s primary focus for his upcoming season.
This season, I’m most excited to see how much progress I can make in the 200 and 500 free and I’m looking forward to seeing my hard work pay off,” Royse said.
The Trojans are the defending champion and they have the roster to win yet again.
“I’m also very excited for the possibility of Andover winning another state title,” Royse said. “We have a great team of guys this year with a lot of depth in many events and I’m excited to compete with a great team. There are many great swimmers competing this season, especially in the Wichita area, and I’m excited for some fast racing.”
Royse spent most of his offseason at the Wichita Swim Club, working on better times in the 200 and 500 free event.
“I spent much of my time in the offseason in the pool at Wichita Swim Club, focusing on technique and endurance,” Royse said. “In addition, I added some strength training to be more prepared going into the season.”
The strength training for Royse is going to be crucial.
“One area I want to improve on is overall strength to become more explosive off starts and turns,” Royse said. “During the offseason, I focused on dryland workouts and building strength to improve.”
