For Roni Black, this year’s high school swimming state championship was not what she expected. Aside from placing first in two events and winning two state titles, overall, Black felt like she could have done more.
Drawn to swimming all of her life, Black shares a drive and dedication to her sport that is always pushing her to achieve more. This year, that goal was to beat the current state swim times for the 200 IM and the 100 Breaststroke. At the state competition however, Black ended up swimming times that were just out of reach of breaking these state times.
“Honestly I was kind of disappointed with state, I don’t really know what went wrong but I didn’t do well in my 200 IM and added three seconds to my best time and went a 2:07, and then my 100 breast in finals was a 1:026 and my best time is 1:017 so I was like a second off,” Black said. “I think I was mostly just disappointed because I really wanted to break records this year.”
Black has the times she needs to break the state records under her club times, however, she’s been unable to swim them in her high school so far.
“I think I just really wanted to break the records so I put a lot of pressure on myself before to break them and then when I didn’t I was just ultra disappointed,” Black said. “I don’t usually swim those events but I just wanted to be up there and break those records.”
Black currently holds the Highland record for the 50 free, 200 IM, 100 fly, and 100 breast and even though she hasn’t been able to get the times to break the state record, Black is determined to keep training and to create new records during her senior swimming season.
“I mean I wanted to break them my junior year, so now I really want to break them by the time another year goes by,” Black said. “It [not breaking them] definitely makes me want to break records now or at least go those times in high school.”
Black is also hoping to use next year not only as an opportunity to shrink her times to beat the state level, but also in continuing to grow the Highland swim team who this year didn’t have enough swimmers to form a boys team.
“Next season I’m also really hoping that we can get more boys on the team and have a bigger team next year,” Black said. “It’s definitely a goal to recruit more kids for next year for the team.”
This year at the state tournament the Highland swim team also raced well, placing high in the medley relay competition that included Black, and breaking a Highland record.
After her senior year, Black is planning on attending San Diego State and swimming for their team, however, for this next year she’s mainly focused on working on her times in club trials and breaking records as a senior for the Highland swim team.
