The Observer, January 28, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 15
Football injury sparked swimmer's aquatic career
According to a few people, Massillon, Ohio is undoubtedly the football capital of the world. For boys growing up there, pressure to succeed at football is intense. Massillon Washington's freshman quarterback, John Erickson, was preparing to lead his team to victory and live the dream when an errant elbow not only penetrated his face mask, but nearly popped out his eye.
The injury took six months to heal and prematurely ended his reign as a football star. Fortunately for Erickson and for Case swimming, the incident did not end his swimming career. In fact, in the years ahead, when people tell the epic tale of John Erickson, the injury will be seen as the turning point where he transformed from a recreational swimmer to an elite competitor.
Erickson was born, as he put it, "in the year of our Lord 1984." When he turned eight, he reluctantly began his swimming career with the Massillon Aquatic Club. Erickson actually wanted nothing to do with the sport, but his best friend's conniving mom persuaded his own mother to sign him up. He started swimming only summers, but by the time he reached junior high school he had begun year-round training.
At the time of his unfortunate accident on the football field, his six-foot frame weighed in at 130 pounds soaking wet. Instead of dwelling on the negative aspects of the incident, he began intensively training with Massillon High School's strength coach, who set him on course to pick up an additional 50 pounds of muscle over his high school career. He used that muscle to achieve great things in the water.
Starting his sophomore year, he made it to the Ohio State meet, placing in the top 16 in the 50 free. He also helped Massillon's 200 free relay achieve a top-16 place. The results of his junior year were much the same, with Erickson once again placing in the top 16 in both the 50 free and 200 free relay. Then, during his senior year, he exploded, adding the 100 free to his repertoire and placing eighth in the 50 free.
After graduating in 2003, he came to Case to study biology with a possible minor in chemistry, in the hope of one day earning a M.D./Ph.D. His college swimming career started off rocky. Like many freshmen, Erickson found himself struggling to keep up with his school work while practicing a grueling 20 hours a week. On top of that, he had neglected to train over the summer, leaving him woefully out of swimming shape. Thoughts of quitting danced in his head.
Fortunately for the men's swim team, Erickson persevered and by midseason was solidly committed to continuing swimming. At the UAA conference meet, he proved to be an invaluable asset. He placed third in the 50 free with a blazing 21.38, giving him a B cut. In the 200 free, he easily placed fourth. He also helped the Case relay teams place high, with the 400 medley taking third and the 200 medley seizing second.
Over the summer, Erickson stayed on campus, working maintenance with senior swimmer Eric Frohmader. The job kept him moving around and entailed a lot of heavy lifting. In addition to their manual labor, both teammates lifted five days a week and tried to swim 3000-5000 yards four to five times a week, but Erickson admitted, "We often got too lazy to actually swim the fifth time. We never did miss a lift, though." They also encouraged each other to watch their diet and to eat right.
The extra effort over the summer has more than paid off. At the end of the fall semester, Erickson competed at the Wooster Invitational. Like the rest of the team, he rested for only a few days before the meet to help conserve his energy. In an amazing 50 freestyle, he went a 21.67 and "beat a fully tapered sprinting god like [senior] Chris Cook, who had just broken the school's 100 free record." Just two weeks ago at a home meet against Rochester, un-rested, unshaved, and with no comparable competition, he swam a 21.99 in the 50 free. This is quite possibly the fastest un-rested 50 free swam by a Case swimmer since the reign of Zack Zuppas in the late '90s.
But for Erickson, that time is just a milestone on the way to his final season goals. He not only is trying to trump the school's 50 free record of 21.16 but has the UAA record of 20.90 and first place in his sights. The ultimate goal is nationals, which has an A cut of 20.69. Last year only three Division III swimmers made the cut, and Erickson expects a similar result this year, which will allow B cuts, like Erickson, to go.
Coach Chris Conlon echoes Erickson's confidence in his ambitions for nationals, saying, "John Erickson is definitely one of the kids we are looking towards to take us to nationals. I think he has what it takes."
Other season goals are in the 100 free and the 200 medley relay. In the 100 free, he wants to be below a 47.3. And in the relay, he would like to help his teammates "wipe the record off the board." Last year they were cheated by 0.06 seconds. If John has anything to do with that, it won't happen again.
Win or lose this year, John Erickson will persevere and come back next year stronger, faster, and willing to go at it again.
