Xavier’s Anderson stays busy

CEDAR RAPIDS - Xavier may not have a swim team, but that does not stop junior Mitchell Anderson from swimming competitively.

Xavier students are allowed to participate in a swim co-op with two of the public schools in Cedar Rapids - Kennedy and Washington. This allows students to have the opportunity to continue swimming in high school.

'It's a great opportunity to make new friends, and branch out into a rival community,” junior swimmer Mitchell Anderson said.

There are 10 boys involved in the co-op. Six of them swim at Kennedy and four at Washington. Students are assigned co-op swim schools based on where they live in the city.

They are all working hard and - with two practices a day and four hours of practice all together - their schedules are jam packed.

'Every free moment that is open, I either spend doing homework or trying to recoup from practice,” Anderson said. 'I manage my time by finding opportunities to make my life functional.”

The boys practice in the mornings from 5:30 to 6:30, and in the afternoon from 3:15 to 5:45.

There are 10 events a swimmer can participate in. Anderson swims four - the 100 yard breaststroke, the 200 medley relay, the 200 freestyle and the 200 free relay.

'Swimming the 100 breast is like swimming a football field,” Anderson said. 'Swimming the 200 breast is like swimming two football fields.”

Aside from swimming, Anderson also is involved in many school activities. He participates in choir, concert band, jazz band, athletic training, boy scouts, National Honors Society and Xavier Ambassadors.