By Sunday afternoon, things started heating up during the Aberdeen Swim Club Annual High Point Swim Meet at the Aberdeen Aquatic Center.

While the temperatures were much warmer than it was for the morning session, Logan Smith said it was still better that he got to compete in the afternoon.

“It’s probably good, because then you don’t have to wake up at 6 o’clock and just start swimming,” Smith said.

The 8-year-old member of the Aberdeen Swim Club is in his second year with the team. He said he enjoys competing more than he does practicing, “because in the races you get medals and in practice you just practice.”

Smith was competing in a variety of events to close out the final session of the weekend meet. He handily won his heat in the 100-meter butterfly.

He was going to close out his day with a relay race. Smith said that the event is slightly different having teammates compared to an individual race.

“It’s not that hard, because all you have to do is every time just swim down,” Smith said, “but sometimes you have to cheer them on so they keep on going.”

COMPETING IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT

The afternoon swimmers not only had to deal with the heat, but those competing in the backstroke also had to deal with direct sunlight when they were in the pool.

“It’s not too bad,” said 9-year-old Hailey Hanson of the ASC, “because I have these tinted goggles that help me with the sun.”

She doesn’t mind the backstroke “because it goes so much faster sometimes.”

Hanson also plays volleyball, but definitely has a favorite between her two sports.

“Swimming,” Hanson said of her preference, “because sometimes you get trophies and sometimes you get ribbons and medals.”

KARST CARRYING ON FATHER’S DAY TRADITION

Doug Karst is used to spending Father’s Day at the pool. The Aberdeen man not only has three kids (Tigue, Lula and Alexandra) who compete, but was also an official at the meet.

“Our High Point Meet is always on Father’s Day,” Karst said. “That’s when our oldest started swimming is about six years ago.”

As a result, the family doesn’t get much time to honor him until after the swimming is completed.

“They start giving me hints on what my Father’s Day presents are on Friday night,” Karst said, “and if we all have any gas left in the tank, tonight I’ll get to open some presents.”

Karst got into officiating two years ago as a way to help out the sport.

“We figure we’re going to be here, we might as well pitch in and try to help them,” he said. “Not only our team, but the club of swimming somehow.”

Karst tries to give a shout out to his children when they swim.

“Occasionally, I’ve asked them if they can hear me, and if it’s quiet enough and if I can project my voice loud enough, they’ll hear it,” Karst said, “otherwise I think it’s white noise.”

Karst, who started swimming as part of triathlon training, really got involved with the sport when the children became members of ASC.

“Gina, my wife, said she was going to take Lula to tryouts and I was like, ‘Boy I didn’t even know she knew how to swim,’ and she goes, ‘Well, we’re going to try,’ and I was like ‘Good luck with that,’” Karst said. “When I got home, I asked ‘How did it go?’ and she was like ‘We’re on the team,’ and that’s where it started.”

NEW SQUAD IN TOWN

There was a new team competing at the High Point Meet for the first time this past weekend.

The Velocity Aquatics out of Delano, Minn., decided to come to Aberdeen this year instead of going to their regular meet in Iowa.

“We were looking for a good meet that allows all abilities to be there,” said Velocity coach Karl Schulze. “Sometimes you get a meet where they only let fast swimmers there or something like that, but also wanted a meet that has good enough competition for everyone, and this seemed like a good mix of strong teams and smaller teams and stuff like that.”

The swimmers were having a good time at their new venue.

“It’s pretty cool,” said 11-year-old Maddy Mays of Delano. “I think this is better than the Iowa meet that we usually go to. It’s bigger. More people come.”

Not only that, but there are also new things to see and do in the Hub City.

When asked what she will remember most about the weekend, Mays responded, “Probably the go-karting and bumper boats place. That was fun.”

AT HOME IN THE WATER

While he has only been swimming for the Aberdeen Swim Club for about a year, 12-year-old Kaden Mountjoy is enjoying the experience.

“I like to swim,” Mountjoy said. “I like to be in the water a lot.”

He said one of the more challenging strokes is the butterfly, “because you have to constantly move your arms and move your legs.”

In some events swimmers get on blocks and dive into the water to start a race, while in others, like the backstroke, they are already in the pool when the race begins.

“It’s a pretty big difference,” Mountjoy said. “I like diving off of the blocks.”

Mountjoy had a picture of a bird on his back for the meet.

“It’s an eagle. Someone drew it for me with a permanent marker,” Mountjoy said. “It will come off in a few days.”

While the eagle probably didn’t make a difference in his overall time, Mountjoy said he liked the drawing.

“I just thought that it would be kind of fun,” he said.