Reaching for an Olympic dream

Warming up: Ryan Parke spends time in the warm up pool stretching for his first race of the day at the Summer Junior Olympics in Roseville.

Ryan Parke, 15, of Cottonwood began swimming approximately five years ago to help his fifth grade class win the Olympic games at West Cottonwood School. At the school games only one other classmate raised a hand when the teacher asked who wanted to swim the freestyle race to finish the games.

Ryan decided that when no one else was willing to do it, that if his friend could swim it, then he needed to as well.

"When I got into the water, swam the race and finished, I fell in love with the sport. Where I am now just went from there," said Ryan Parke.

Ryan has been swimming for Sun Oaks Aquatics of Redding (SOAR) for the past five years attending two hour practices a day, lifting weights each night and competing in swim meets when they are scheduled. While swimming for SOAR, Ryan competes year round unless meets are scheduled during the high school season. For SOAR, Parke is coached by Randy Petters of Redding.

In the fall, Ryan swims for West Valley High School. He spends two hours a day with the high school team and, when time permits, he goes to Sun Oaks for additional workouts with coach Petters. At the high school level, Ryan is coached by Mark Soares.

Ryan and coach Soares have lofty goals for the season. One is for Ryan to break a school record in the 500-meter freestyle set in 2006 by Tanner Wilson of Cottonwood. Wilson swam the race in five minutes, thirteen seconds. Ryan would like to break the school record with a time of five minutes, three seconds. His current time is five minutes and nineteen seconds.

While warming up for a race, Ryan swims 1,500 meters.

"You need a good warm-up to be able to perform at your peak in a race. It helps your body to be more prepared," Ryan said.

Ryan competed July 23-26 at the Junior Olympics in Roseville. He swam the 200-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 100-meter backstroke and the 200-meter individual medley events.

"My coach was happy with my races, so I am happy with them," stated Ryan.

This is Ryan's second year participating in the California Junior Olympics. The Junior Olympics are held twice a year in California. This year, 30 swimmers from Sun Oaks Aquatics of Redding will participate in them.

"Ryan placed within the top 9-16 swimmers in each of his events," stated coach Randy Petters of Redding. "Ryan is committed to the sport and has a good attitude. He is a top-notch, genuine kid with his priorities in line. Ryan's family and his faith come first in all that he does. And that comes from the bottom of my heart," said Petters.

Looking toward the future, Ryan would like to continue to compete and achieve his goals.

"I am looking towards the 2012 Olympic Trials. If not 2012, then 2016," said Ryan.

Outside of practices and swim meets, Ryan coaches younger swimmers, getting them use to being in the pool and starting on basic strokes and smooth movements. He also helps take care of his younger siblings and raises a hay crop each year to help pay for his activities. A sophomore at West Valley High School, Ryan is the son of Troy and Deb Parke of Cottonwood.

"Part of the reason why I like swimming so much is that at SOAR we swim as a team and cheer each other on while at meets. When it comes to the high school season, we are still cheering for one another even though we are attending different schools," stated Ryan.

"We are proud of Ryan and enjoy watching him swim. He is good at it," said his mother, Deb Parke. "Our whole family is starting to swim. It is all about practice and being there. While Ryan is at practice, we spend time sitting in the car doing home work and getting other things done."

"I am hoping to go to school on a swimming scholarship, and that some good coaches will take the time to watch me swim. I am just not sure where I would like to go to school yet," Ryan said.