Norman's passion for swimming leads to success

At the Sept. 13 Ephrata swimming jamboree, Cheney High School sophomore Makenzie Norman was checking in with her coach Jennifer Hochwalt moments before she was going to swim the 100-yard backstroke race. Hochwalt pointed to a time on her paper and said to Norman, "you see that? I want you to beat that."

Norman finished the race in 1 minute and 5.52 seconds, breaking a 15-year-old Cheney record.

"I could hear my team screaming," Norman said. "I think they were more excited for me than I was."

After the race, Norman ran to her dad.

"I told him 'it was for him,'" she said.

Norman is in her second year on the Blackhawks girls' swimming team. She has already qualified for state in four individual events: 50 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 freestyle and 500 freestyle.

Norman started swimming when she was 10 years her old after her parents, Linda and Bob, purchased a boat. When Norman's family moved to Cheney, her parents took her to lessons at the Eastern Washington University pool. The teachers recommended they get Norman a little more instruction and put her on a swim team.

After taking more lessons at the YMCA, Norman joined the Spokane Hurricanes - which was absorbed into the Spokane Waves. In her first year, Norman won four medals at the 2010 Inland Empire Swimming 14 and Under Junior Championships. She has also qualified for the Western Zone Senior Championships.

Norman's father would sit and strategize with his daughter before events.

"I'm really proud of her," Bob Norman said. "I always tell her that I will always be in the stands, cheering for you."

For Norman, who continues to swim on club teams, making the transition to high school competition was different. At the high school level, she only swims three races as opposed to five events at club competitions. Although Norman does not play any other sport, she has competed in the Iron Eagle Triathlon. In 2013, she placed first in the women's 20-and under division. This last year she took second.

"People don't realize how much swimmers put into their activities," Linda Norman said. "It's like a 5-6 days a week sport year-round."

As a freshman, Norman qualified for state in five events. She placed second in the 100 freestyle and third in the 50 freestyle.

"It was exciting to qualify for state because something like that doesn't happen a lot," Norman said. "This year I'm gunning for first place."

In addition to having success in individual events, Norman, along with teammates Alexis Schmidt, Kaylie Geschke and Tenley Nelson qualified for state in the 200 medley relay.

Norman said she tries to pump up her team and get them hyped for the race.

"We go through the motions and joke around and say 'you got to get that 20-second mark,'" Norman said. "It's a little out of our range, but it's kind of fun to joke around and get rid of some of that stress. From there, I cheer them on as much as I can. I love my team."

Hochwalt said Norman works hard and sets a good example for her teammates.

"She shows them what this sport is about and how far you can go in this sport," Hochwalt said.

After high school, Norman hopes to swim while she attends college. She wants to become a physical therapist.

"I plan on swimming for the rest of my life, even if it's just a couple of hours in the pool after work," Norman said. "I feel like swimming is kind of a calling. I feel happiest when I'm with my friends and we're swimming."

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].