Boys Swimming | A little push got Snohomish's Riechel in deep

SNOHOMISH — Shortly after Garren Riechel and his family moved into a home along the shore of Lake Roesiger, his mother Deanna figured it was time for her 9-year-old to learn to swim.

A nervous mother made a deal with young Garren. Take swim lessons, and he could jump off the family dock into the lake without having to wear a cumbersome life jacket.

The Snohomish High School sophomore has come a long way since his first lessons with the Lake Stevens Swim Club in 2000.

Riechel won the 100-yard breaststroke as a freshman at last year's Class 4A state meet.

"My mom didn't want to have to save us from drowning," Riechel said. "We were just jumping off the dock in the summer, but she was scared. I hated wearing the life jacket, so I decided to swim.

"That's the reason I started swimming. After the first practice, I said, 'Mom and Dad, can I keep doing this? I kind of like it.' "

Ever since, it has been full-thrust ahead for Riechel, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound 16-year-old who has a long wingspan.

Could his state title as a freshman be the start of a four-peat?

"Really, on the boys' side, it's pretty amazing for a freshman to win anything at state," Snohomish coach Rob Serviss said of his young star on a talented Panthers team gunning for its third consecutive 4A state crown. "Usually, when you compare freshmen to seniors, the difference in development of muscle mass is significant.

"So, any time a freshman wins at state, it's a big deal."

When he was 14, Riechel was USA Swimming's No. 1-ranked junior in the 13-14 age group in the 100 breaststroke. He's currently No. 5 nationally in the 15-16 age group.

He would like to qualify for the Olympic Team Trials June 29-July 6 and the Junior National Championships in August, but Riechel says he'll likely need elbow surgery in March or April.

"I had some loose cartilage in my elbow that was getting in the way of the joint and making it stiff," said Riechel, who had surgery last summer. "My doctors took some out last summer. They [recently] did an MRI and there was some more cartilage loose.

"Sometimes it's painful. It pop and cracks. Training-wise, it's hurting me. I can usually get through practices, but sometimes I rely on different training, like on the stationary bike. I'll try to manage my way through this season.

"I think I can beat my state-winning time this year," he said. "I'm actually ahead of where I was last year at this point, even though I'm not able to train 100 percent."

His best time of 57.46 seconds in the 100 breaststroke was his state-winning time last February.

Riechel, with Eric Pedack, Dan Ferguson and Michael Turner, also swam on the Panthers' state-record-setting 200 medley relay, which won in 1:36.12.

Riechel also took third at state in the 200 individual medley (1:57.99) and was part of the second-place 400 free relay (3:13.46).

Serviss believes qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials is realistic for Riechel, for 2012 if not 2008.

"He is a super-talented kid, so there's not too many goals I think that are out of his reach," he said.

The foundation is also there for a third consecutive state team championship.

Riechel leads the push, thanks to the start he got seven years ago.