Marykate Fallon
Staff Writer
Ethan Skuches, freshman, definitely makes his first year at Foran one to remember. Skuches is a member of the Boys Swimming team and is already showing his full commitment and pride in being a Foran Lion and was able to reach many personal records in various events this season.
“My biggest achievement would probably be going from a 1:06.41 in my 100 backstroke to a 1:03.72. Also, I went from a 1:17.53 in the 100 breaststroke,” he says. These achievements look quite promising for Skuches and his next three years at Foran.
The freshman began swimming competitively when he was just seven, and swam in his first meet on October 20 2007. It wasn’t all fun and games at first. Skuches began swimming with much resistance but eventually grew to love the water. When asked, “What inspired you to start swimming?” Skuches states, “What inspired me to start swimming was that I wasn’t really all that great at sports such as soccer, baseball or basketball so we (my parents and I) decided to try swimming.” This sparked a lifelong love of swimming.
When Skuches is in the water, he is for sure determined and driven on reaching all of his goals. The swimmer says his favorite stroke is freestyle. This is because “it is the most diverse stroke in regards to competing in a race,” According to him, events for freestyle in high school swimming range from the 50 yard to the 500 yard with the 100 and the 200 in between. While in the offseason the events range from the 50 to the 1650, or the mile, with the 100, 200, 500, and 1000 in between and for other strokes the highest distance is only the 100 yard in high school and the 200 in offseason.
When Skuches is not competing at the high school level, he is a member of the Amity Regional Aquatic Club (ARAC) which is located in Orange. He says he loves swimming there and his team is like his second family along with the high school team. Skuches states, “I have been swimming there since 2007 under the late Head Coach Michael DiVerniero, who was like an irreplaceable mentor to me. I have loved it ever since I could remember. The friendships and relationships that I have there with both the coaches and my teammates are long-lasting and we’re all one family. The coaches have watched me grow up in the water and I couldn’t ask for a better team to be able to swim with when I’m not in the high school season.”
Though, Skuches isn’t all splish splash. He also enjoys participating in triathlons occasionally during the summer (which includes swimming) and also enjoys marine science and just science itself. This contributes to the reason why he participates in the Aquaculture program at school. Skuches strives academically as well. Mrs. Convertino, Spanish teacher at Foran, says “Es un estudiante magnífico. Siempre participa en la clase de español, siempre está listo y es un líder. Sé que va a tener mucho éxito en la natación. ¡Felicidades!” As you can see, Skuches is highly spoken of by members of the Foran faculty and staff.
When asked, “What is it like having your mom as your coach?” Skuches responsed with, “Having my mom as a coach is actually a very beneficial thing for me. She really knows who I am as a person and as a swimmer so she is able to read me very well. In a way though, it wouldn’t be much more different if I were to have someone else as a coach. On the deck she is my coach as she is everyone else’s, I may refer to her as “Mom”, but she’s my coach on deck and we both understand that, which I am very grateful for.”
Skuches is only a freshman and has many more years to work towards his goals as a swimmer. For instance, he would like to try and hold a school record by the time he graduates, whether that be the 100 backstroke (53.85), the 100 breaststroke (1:03.75), or the 500 freestyle (4:46.55). “Whatever happens, I don’t want to leave high school without having left a mark on the team.”
Skuches looks to finish the season strongly and his favorite memory from this season is when the boys beat Branford for the first time in 33 years.
