LEWISBURG - Hours and hours of practice, training and tapering get swimmers physically prepared to compete at the PIAA Swimming Championships.
Once they get there, however, it's a whole different ballgame.
The bright lights ⦠the screaming crowds ⦠the TV cameras ⦠the big pool full of extremely fast swimmers.
For a high school swimmer, it's an experience like no other.
For six Schuylkill League underclassmen, they hope to use the experience gained Friday at Bucknell University's Kinney Natatorium as a building block for a return trip next season.
Blue Mountain's 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays, Schuylkill Haven junior Allison Adams and Tamaqua freshman Rebecca Kanaskie all came up short of advancing out of Friday morning's preliminaries, but left with an understanding of what it will take to get back there next year.
"I think now that I've been here and I've experienced the whole thing ⦠practicing, districts, getting here, I feel like I know what I need to do," said Kanaskie, who finished 25th in the 200 IM in 2:17.74.
"I know what I need to work harder on. I know what I need to do when I get here. It was definitely a learning experience."
The Blue Mountain quartet of Joey McLaughlin, Stephen Johnson, Mark Boran and Nathanael Marino just missed making it to the evening session, placing 17th in both relay events to miss the consolation finals by one spot in each race.
The Eagles were clocked in 1:43.74 in the medley relay, with Big Spring earning the 16th spot in 1:43.05. In the 200 freestyle relay, Blue Mountain finished in 1:32.39, with Tunkhannock taking 16th in 1:32.13.
McLaughlin, Johnson and Boran were competing at the state meet for the first time, and their nervousness showed, Blue Mountain coach Sandy Englert said.
"When I saw Stephen Johnson when we first got here, I thought he was going to pass out," she said. "His eyes were big, and he was wobbling and white. Joey was the same way ⦠he kept pacing like a tiger in the zoo.
"I know they were quite discouraged because they wanted to get to tonight, but they're having fun. They're together, they're bonding. Their times were good."
Individually, Marino placed 22nd in the 50 freestyle in 22.64 after coming in seeded 15th in 22.26.
Marino was at states for the third straight year, and the junior will hope to contend for a medal in today's 100 breaststroke. The boys' prelims begin at 8 a.m., with competition in the 100 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 400 freestyle relay.
He said an error on his turn made the difference in Friday's 50 freestyle.
"I told myself I wasn't going to look around me and psyche myself out, but I did exactly that," Marino said. "I looked around me, saw what other kids' times were, and it got to me.
"I felt good on the start, getting in the water, going fast, but my turn is what messed it up for me. I went too deep, and I realize that. I know what I have to fix. I'll do better."
Adams qualified for states two years ago as a freshman, placing 22nd in the 50 freestyle in 25:45. Friday, she finished 22nd again in a personal-best 25.17.
She credited a slow start as one of the reasons she didn't advance out of the morning prelims.
"I knew I had a late start, because I saw the green light up," Adams said. "After that it was head down, no breathing until I absolutely had to take a breath. I only ended up taking one breath, and I got my best time. I'm happy with it.
"Getting here every year gets you accustomed to being here," she continued. "I wasn't as nervous as I was freshman year. I wish my relay team would have made it, because I knew it would have made this experience a lot more fun."
Kanaskie's older sister, Caroline, was a two-time state qualifier, but going to states as a fan and being there as a competitor are two different things.
The freshman struggled through her butterfly and backstroke portions of the IM, saying she was really nervous before the race.
"It was really nerve-wracking. When I got here yesterday, I felt like, 'This is cool. I'll be OK tomorrow. It's not a big deal,' " Kanaskie said. "When I got up this morning, I didn't even talk. I couldn't even eat. The experience to get here was really nerve-wracking, but so exciting at the same time."