The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Chagrin’s Tropf relishing lead role as senior
It’s not as if he really needed to do it.
But with a 200-yard freestyle relay seemingly in hand Jan. 8 as Chagrin Falls competed in a dual at Perry, Michael Tropf dropped the hammer.
Anchoring the quartet and on an island with the lead, the Tigers’ standout senior pounded through a 22.10 split anyway.
Tropf learned from two of the best Chagrin has boasted in that regard, and now that it’s his turn to be the lead man, he wants to leave a similar impression.
Throughout his career, Tropf has been one of the top performers in 100 breaststroke in The News-Herald coverage area, and that promise remains.
But he made his mark in addition as the Tigers hit the road to Canton last fall with a veteran 200 free relay, and it’s a standard he wants to maintain, even in an early-January dual.
“Focus, and preparation beforehand during practice,” Tropf said of keeping tenacity in a dual for such a strong anchor split. “It’s been among each other, trying to race each other, getting a little bit of edge. And so we all push each other to do really well.
“So whether there’s people in the pool or not, we’ve been kind of honed down in our inner strength. We’re going as fast as we can, because deep down, we’ve practiced it like that.”
As the lone underclassman on that Tigers’ 200 free relay, with longtime program fixtures Clark Reboul and John Cashy and their fellow senior Parker Broz, Tropf’s growth as a big-meet swimmer was evident all the way to Canton.
At the Division II SPIRE Sectional, Tropf hit a 22.24 as the second leg of the quartet as Chagrin won with a 1:29.07. Then at the D-II Cleveland State District, Tropf drew rave reviews for a tone-setter of a 21.71 split.
At state, the quartet went 1:26.43 to take D-II state runner-up honors, with Tropf logging a 21.24. The second place ties for the top finish by a Chagrin 200 free relay in school history at state with the Tigers’ 2003 girls quartet.
Reboul, Cashy and Broz have handed the keys over to Tropf, and he’s hopeful with him and a promising young group the good fortune can continue.
“I’ve picked up all three of their team spirit,” Tropf said. “I’ve tried to distribute it among the rest of my team. It’s been exciting to not only have three new people to cheer on and encourage to do incredible, but they know they’ve got me always there for them. It’s really fun.”
Similar to the plight of contemporaries across Ohio, the 2020 second-team News-Herald boys swimming and diving all-star considered himself fortunate to get in the entirety of his junior campaign before the novel coronavirus pandemic hit.
But once the shutdown arrived, access to the pool to refine his skill went with it.
“I was out of the pool up until the beginning of school in August,” Tropf said. “And it was strange getting back into it. You pick it up pretty quickly. At the beginning of the season, my times were not what I thought they would be. But I guess we’ve made do really well. I am incredibly blown away by my teammates’ performances.”
Individually, Tropf’s bread and butter is 100 breast. He was seventh at CSU a year ago in the event with a 1:01.08.
This season, Tropf has already hit a 1:01.72, The News-Herald coverage area’s fastest time in the event, putting him on an encouraging trajectory as the Chagrin Valley Conference meet, tapering and then the postseason looms.
He has a goal firmly in mind, one which would put him in contention for a Day 2 swim at state.
Given the way Tropf blossomed in 200 free relay a year ago as a junior, and with the tenacity he displayed on a relay anchor one winter night at Perry to set an example, that aspiration is more than reasonable.
“Hopefully, finally, breaking 1:00,” Tropf said. “I’d want to get down even more than that. It would mean a lot to me.
“(I’ll find that time drop in) pullouts, actually. I’ve been getting a little more distance. The third lap is usually the tough one. But I’ve started to narrow down a rhythm and faster times in dual meets, as opposed to past years where it’s been at the big meets where my best performance is.”