By: Justin Feil
Last year, Tom McKinley dislocated his shoulder while playing football for Princeton High. It cost him the first week of preseason for swimming, but otherwise had little effect on his winter season.
The Little Tiger junior wasn’t so sure he’d be able to say the same thing after dislocating his shoulder again this year, this time in December while playing volleyball in gym class. He dropped football this fall in favor of cross country, yet didn’t make it to the first meet of the swim season due to his second career dislocation of his shoulder.
"When I dislocated my shoulder," McKinley said, "I thought I’d have a bad season."
It didn’t start well as the dislocation cost him the first two meets of the season, but he was able to return faster than last year, when he was out six weeks while his arm was in a sling. Still, for McKinley, who is not a year-round swimmer like some of his PHS teammates, he was losing valuable training time, which made his goals, namely breaking 23 seconds in the 50 freestyle and 1:05 in the 100 butterfly, seem all the tougher to reach.
"I had 23.6 last year, and I was hoping to do (sub-23) by counties," McKinley said. "It was my main goal. After I got injured I didn’t expect to do it for a while."
McKinley was able to train fully over the winter break, and returned against Hopewell Valley. Though he still hasn’t been cleared to come back to the butterfly, he has been able to contribute for the Little Tigers in the 50 free and two relays for the past three weeks.
McKinley surprised even himself in the PHS boys’ closest meet of the season, a 91-79 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro High South last Tuesday. McKinley won the 50 free in 22.97 seconds, the first time he’s ever been under 23 seconds.
"It was a surprise," he said. "I knew I did well. I didn’t think I did that well. That was the cool thing."
McKinley was also a part of the winning 200 medley and free relays. He also won the 50 free and was a part of the winning medley and 200 free relays in PHS’ 111-69 win over Nottingham on Thursday and anchored the winning medley and was a part of the winning 200 free relay while finishing second to teammate Anson Hook by a hundredth of a second in the Little Tigers’ 116-54 win over Notre Dame on Saturday.
"It’s great to see if someone stays in the sport from winter to winter they move from being a support role to a front-line swimmer," said PHS head coach Greg Hand. "This year, Tom made that transition."
McKinley is different from his sister, Erin, in that regard. Erin McKinley, who was a year-round club swimmer, was a standout for PHS from the time she got there until her graduation two years ago. Tom, whose passion is for the pole vault in spring track, has developed each winter into a stronger presence with the Little Tiger boys’ swim team.
"My strokes are better than they were last year," Tom McKinley explained. "I’m taking longer strokes. Mr. Hand says my turns are better than last year. We work on it a lot in practice."
"One thing they have in common," Hand said of the siblings, "is they’re aggressive competitors. They love to challenge themselves. Whether it’s counties or a dual meet, you can always expect a great effort."
McKinley’s first sub-23 50 of his life puts him third in Mercer County.
"It was a drop of about half a second," said Hand of McKinley’s sub-23 time. "One of the things we’re working on now is trying to perfect his technique. The 50 is so short. If you’re looking for PRs, they exist in the turn or the start. You can tell a lot by who’s off the block first, and then not who’s into the wall first, but where they are after the underwater phase after the turn."
McKinley says his swim against the Pirates was as good as he’s ever felt. He’s hoping to return to contribute in the butterfly as well, and has had to readjust his goals after returning to form in the 50 free so quickly.
"Now I want to get middle 22s," McKinley said of a 50 free time, noting that that time converts to 25 seconds in a meter pool. "There’s always something to improve. My turn was good, but I might not have kicked off the wall."
That’s the type of difference that can be that hundredth of a second that separated Hook and McKinley on Saturday, in the Little Tigers’ only home meet of the season at Princeton University’s DeNunzio Pool.
"Anson’s always been good," McKinley said. "I like having Anson there. I get a lot of competition. I think it’s real helpful. The first time I ever beat him was the end of the season last year."
"We really have three formerly unheralded swimmers in Anson, Matt Millar and Tom doing most of the work in the short free," Hand added. "It gives us flexibility we didn’t have. The jump Tommy made has done more than just give us points."
Hand expects that improvement to continue, and a big part of that improvement isn’t necessarily just swimming faster but making 23-second 50s a more consistent thing. Going faster than 22.97 is a tall order, but something that could happen in the ultra-competitive Mercer County Championships next month.
"He’s always looking to improve," Hand said. "He’s very open to advice and technical points. He’s worked extremely hard to be a better swimmer. Some of this has come naturally as he’s gotten older and stronger. But he’s worked too. Once he starts in November, it’s a total commitment.
"There’s so much promise there for this year and next year," Hand added. "Maybe he’ll become a constant at the 100 and as a flier next year."
It’s a lot to put on Tom McKinley’s shoulders, but as long as they hold together, he certainly seems capable of any goal.
* * *
The Tiger girls rolled to a 123-47 win over Notre Dame with Cranbury residents contributing in a big way.
Maddy Carroll won the 200 free (2:05.47)and the 100 free (58.25) while swimming on the winning 200 free relay (1:48.01) and the 400 free relay (3:57.62). Kristin Gray swam on the winning 200 medley (1:59.11) and the 400 free relay, took second in the 200 IM and third in the 100 fly. Melissa Carduner won the 100 back (1:08.47) and was second in the 50 free.
In the boys meet, the Little Tigers took a 116-54 win with more contributions from Cranbury. Devin White was second in the 200 IM and 100 fly, while Joe Carroll won the 500 free (5:29.03).
