Sophomore Jack Falejczyk won four medals competing on the Frosh-Soph team for state in Boys’ Swimming and Diving on Saturday, February 27.

Prior to swimming in high school, he trained for six years with Christine Sugihara and the late Rhonda Burke.

Throughout the duration of this season, Falejczyk worked to improve his technique overall.

Coach David Toler said technique is especially important for Falejczyk due to his visual impairment. “If his arm strokes are half of an inch off, 3 strokes in a row he’s going to run into the side of the pool.”

Although, Toler found relaying information proved to be more difficult. “The transference of information that’s normally sight oriented into something more audio oriented was a challenge,” Toler said. “We’ve had to learn how to learn how to relate to him. There’s many things he’s got a different perspective.”

Falejczyk said that “my kicking was improved. My butterfly which I used to hate to the bitter end improved as well.”

He performed exceptionally well at sectionals, taking home first in 50-Yard Freestyle for Athletes with Disabilities and placing second in the 200-Yard Freestyle for Athletes of Disabilities, 100-Yard Freestyle for Athletes with Disabilities, and 100-Yard Breaststroke for Athletes with Disabilities.

Falejczyk said that placing first in sectionals was definitely a highlight of the season because “it really was a great honor to do that.”

Qualifying for state for the second year in a row, he excelled there as well, winning four medals. He placed 3rd in 200 yard freestyle for Athletes with Disabilities, 4th in 50 yard freestyle for Athletes with Disabilities, 4th in 100 yard freestyle for Athletes with Disabilities, 3rd in 100 yard breaststroke for Athletes with Disabilities.

Overall, he said that he’d like to thank his team for a great season. “We’re just a team of brothers. We have fun with each other.”

Additionally, he is thankful for the help of his coaches who “do deserve credit for what they did.”

Looking to the future, he hopes to swim in the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Paralympics are similar to the Olympic games in that the best athletes from each country compete, but it is specifically for athletes with disabilities.

Falejczyk would be in class S11, the section specifically for blind swimmers that includes Freestyle, Backstroke, and Butterfly. He will be flying out to North Carolina for the tryouts this summer.