Jordan Anae

Barry Faulkner

One hundred yards of froth and fury, splashing and surging suds. For

most spectators, swim sprinters can simply disappear beneath the

residue of their talent as they propel themselves through the pool.

Sometimes, their talent can even get lost in the exertion needed

to pull and kick their way between the buoys that separate them from

their competitors, all done to the staccato ticking of the stopwatch

against which they are constantly measured.

Until recently, this was the case for Corona del Mar High

sophomore Jordan Anae, who, after three years of training and

competing with the Aquazots club program, discovered the key to

speeding up in the 100 freestyle sprint was, well, slowing down.

“Within the last year, I’ve actually tried to put more thought

into technique than effort,” said Anae, whose performance at

Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division II finals at Belmont Plaza

helped the Sea Kings post an unprecedented second-place team finish.

The Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, of whom CdM Coach Doug

Volding said her polished stroke makes her exceedingly smooth in the

water, swam the leadoff leg on CdM’s winning 400 and 200 free relays.

She also finished second in the 100 free (53.15) and third in the 100

backstroke (59.26). Her leadoff leg in the 400 relay (52.61) set a

school 100-yard record and helped the team post an All-American time

of 3:34.67, more than five seconds faster than Friday’s qualifying

mark.

But swimming smoothly has not come naturally, said Anae, who,

until making some changes, said adrenaline and competitive fire often

compromised her form.

“I’ve worked really hard to try to make my stroke more smooth,”

Anae said. “That has always been a problem for me, because I tend to

get choppy. I’ve recently had to slow down my stroke and concentrate

on the little things, instead of giving everything I have. Before,

the adrenaline would take total control, rather than my head and

brain. I lost focus on what I should have been doing out there.”

That focus, accelerated by prerace visualization and relaxation

techniques, as well as the aforementioned emphasis on stroke

mechanics in training, helped Anae surpass her goals.

“I finished eighth in the 100 free and the 100 back at last year’s

CIF finals and my goal coming into this year was to be in the top

four in both,” she said. “My goal in the 100 free this year was to

get a 52 and I did that in the relay.”

Though gratified by her placing in her individual swims Saturday,

Anae was disappointed by her times. Ironically, having spent ample

energy in those two swims, as well as the 200 free relay, she was

able to find the self-described zone that allowed her to flow fluidly

in the 400 relay.

“As much as you try to calm yourself down, you can still get hyped

up and tight,” Anae said. “I think being a little tired for that last

relay helped. I also spoke to my club coach [Brian Pajer], who told

me a couple things I could do better. I think I went out a little too

fast the first 50 of my 100 free. In the relay, I tried to make my

two [50-yard] splits the same.”

Anae, who said the best part about swimming is the friendships it

has fostered, also noted that swimming as part of a relay team never

hurts.

“People always go fast in the relays, because it’s the only time

in swimming you get to compete with your teammates,” she said. “In

the relay, I wasn’t pushing myself for time as much, so I was able to

stay calm and relax. When I touched the wall, all my teammates were

telling me I got a 52.”

Anae, also a member of CdM’s CIF championship water polo team last

fall, didn’t take much time to celebrate her momentous CIF meet. She

returned to twice-daily workouts Monday in preparation for a club

meet Saturday. She said she will now take aim on qualifying for the

junior nationals this summer.

“There is always room to improve in swimming,” she said. “And the

outcome of performance is all based on what you do.”