Marchand a tough act to follow

Peninsula High swimmer re-writes Seahawks’ records

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

Leaving a legacy at the high school level is not an easy thing to do, but people will remember Lindsey Marchand when she graduates this year.

After a swim meet against Auburn Mountainview earlier this month, Marchand now holds every school record except for 1-meter diving and the 400 freestyle relay.

If she could go twice, then maybe the relay record would be broken as well.

Given the fact Marchand owns nearly every record, she is pumped to break the state and maybe even the national record at the Class 3A/2A swimming meet in the 100 fly and 100 breast.

Although those records are even harder to break, I wouldn’t put it past her. After two years of training for the Olympics, she comes into this year’s high school season faster and with a much stronger racing mentality.

“I’m going to bring the heat,” said Marchand last week.

She could likely win two individual state championships. And her teammates are pretty good, too.

Seahawks coach Craig Brown hopes the relay teams perform well, and if they do, they can land in the Top 10 in the team standings.

What gets my attention — more than breaking records and winning state events — is her early vision of what is actually happening.

When I played football, I rarely missed a practice, and when it was game time, I played my hardest. Most athletes who haven’t hit the 18-year-old mark are committed to certain sports.

But the level of effort Marchand has given since she was little is flat-out ridiculous.

Let’s be honest here: When most of us were freshmen (or even further back as an adolescent), we weren’t spending most of our days perfecting a particular sport. We may have begun to take a strong interest in soccer or perhaps golf.

When she was 9, Marchand wanted to be an Olympian.

That passion, that burning desire to reach the crest of the mountain played out during her freshman year as a Seahawk. She broke six records and went on a two-year high school swimming hiatus to shoot for a much a bigger goal.

Marchand’s aspirations weren’t contained to breaking high school records. She wasn’t satisfied with an individual state championship in the 100-yard butterfly and a third-place finish in the 100 breast.

Her goals go to the edge of greatness.

While Marchand could have likely won more state medals in her sophomore and junior years, she gunned for the Olympics and landed four Olympic trial cuts. Unfortunately, she came up short, but there will be more opportunities in the future.

Records are certainly meant to be broken. What has occurred at Peninsula High School by one person in two school years is a record-breaking spree.

I’m not sure what it feels like to have your name on the record board in every event except one, but I know she is proud of her hard work.

Breaking records that were set more than 30 years ago means she’s raised the bar. It tells the next person to jump higher — or swim faster.

If there’s one thing to remember, it’s that hard work pays off.

Reach sports reporter Marques Hunter at 253-853-9246 or by e-mail at marques.hunter@gateline.com.