Sophomore makes state medal haul
Sophomore Clayton Bobo buckled down and medaled up at the Class 5A state meet this season, winning gold in the 50-yard freestyle and 200 medley relay and silver in the 100 free and 400 free relay, giving him seven medals (four gold, three silver) in two years at Stratford.
Q: How long have you been swimming?
A: I started swimming competitively when I was around 11 years old, and I started because I broke a record in summer league, and I was like, ‘Oh, I might be good at this.’ That’s where it all started.
Q: You won three medals as a freshman. Did you expect to have success right away?
A: I was pretty sure I could do OK. I wasn’t expecting a medal. I was just going in there for the experience the first year, but I was happy. I had a good team to lead me in the right direction last year.
Q: What did it mean to you to go from silver in the 50 freestyle last year to gold?
A: It felt great to win it, just to get points for the team. And the thing that got me over the hump was just training harder and putting a commitment into practice coming into this year.
Q: You also won two relay medals, giving you four in two years. How does team success compare to individual accomplishments?
A: Winning the medley (relay) was a lot more fun than winning the 50 free, for sure. Without a doubt. Just being able to celebrate with the other guys, and step up on the podium with them and joke around, made it more fun.
Q: How do you push the bar higher in high school?
A: We’re going up to 6A (next season), so I’d love to try to get some medals and do well as a team in 6A. Jason McDaniel is a freelance writer.
WHAT SPARTANS COACH MIKE HOSKOVEC SAYS: “Aside from being a physical phenomenon, he’s just a positive, happy guy. He always has a smile on his face. And then he really figured out how to work hard this year. That was his big breakthrough, and it helped him take a big step forward.”