Versatile Beslity an asset to PHS boys

Helps Little Tigers pick up first win of swim season

By: Justin Feil
   James Beslity has always been a versatile swimmer.
   The Princeton High School boys’ swimming team just hasn’t needed it. This year, the Little Tigers aren’t as deep as usual which puts a little more weight on the shoulders of Beslity, who figures to move out of his usual 200 and 500 freestyle events to do some stroke events.
   "It looks like I’ll be in IM and back a lot," Beslity said. "If that’s what it turns out to be, that’s fine with me. I’ve never complained. I’ve never said no. I’m willing to do whatever’s best for the team."
   The senior has always been one of the best freestyle swimmers for the Little Tigers, for whom he is swimming a fourth season. He was part of a sweep of the 200 individual medley and led off the winning 200 free relay as PHS opened its season with a 101-67 win over Steinert on Thursday.
   "One of the best things about James is his versatility," said PHS head coach Greg Hand, whose girls’ team also topped Steinert, 105-65, Thursday. "He’s a real athlete. He’s very talented in terms of pure swimming. He’s been swimming club at a very dedicated level for many years. Technically, he’s very strong and always fit. He’s a guy who we could use anywhere.
   "We’ve always known we could use him almost anywhere. At times when we wanted to help keep mixing things up in order to maintain a sense of freshness and avoid weariness and sense of repetitiveness, we put people in different strokes. James always did well. This year, more than in recent past we need that since Pete (Hand) graduated and we don’t have John Yi, he was anther stroke swimmer. In the past, we’ve almost always slotted James in the 200 and 500 plus the relays. That’s been because he produces so much there. We’ve known he’s given us some flexibility if we wanted it. This year, we’ll be depending on it."
   Beslity has shared a part in the Little Tigers’ last three Central Jersey B Division championship teams. PHS has won six straight overall. Beslity is hoping that PHS can build toward a seventh straight crown, but knows if it is to happen, it will take major contributions from the veterans swimmers.
   "The pressure isn’t just on the seniors," he said. "There’s a lot on the sophomores. Sean MacKenzie, who swims for Express, was a big contributor last year and we need him pulling through in the breaststroke. It’s not just on the seniors. Joe Carroll and Mike Stehn are our captains and they’re both freestylers. Jimmy Newcombe is a freestyler. And I swim freestyle. So you would think the freestyle is covered pretty well. But when you look to the strokes, that’s where we fall short a little. And that’s why he’s going to be moving me around a little."
   PHS showed in Thursday’s opening win that there is still enough quality to dominate the second-tier Colonial Valley Conference squads. Beslity is looking forward to seeing how far the team can climb as his final scholastic season gets underway.
   "I do hope to swim in college," he said. "There definitely is that finality. I thought, I’m never going to swim Steinert again. It’s sad. I’m looking forward to the year, swimming Lawrence who’s always good at the end, (West Windsor-Plainsboro) South in a couple weeks. I’m going to miss the exhilaration I get out of those meets. It’s pretty intense."
   Beslity sees a different sort of intensity with his Whitewaters Swimming club team. Meets don’t have that team appeal or quite the same bond as he feels with PHS.
   "Every club meet, I swim the 200 and 500 freestyle," Beslity said. "I’m not particularly partial to the 200 IM and 100 back. But from what I learned from being on the high school team, when you’re on the club team it’s about your interests and on the high school team you put the interests of the team first. People say swimming isn’t a team sport."
   Those people don’t know swimmers like Beslity. Not only is he dedicated to the Whitewaters club team, but he also makes time to work out with PHS. That dedication comes on top of a strong academic load and trying to save some free time for friends.
   "Three and a half years into it, I think I’ve found the best way to go about it," Beslity said. "I value what Mr. Hand has to say a lot. I feel I get a lot more personal attention on the high school team. In club, we don’t spend as much time on technique. It’s more the grunt work. Mr. Hand helps a lot with technique. I wouldn’t be where I am without those high school practices.
   "There’s days where I say, why did I come to high school practice when I have to go to club after? Those days come and you get through them. Maybe those are your best days sometimes because I get technique in and then I can apply it to club."
   The Little Tigers certainly appreciate the efforts of their club swimmers like Beslity, who make an effort to be at as many high school practices as possible but maintaining their club commitments. His dedication to the sport has helped him grow more important to PHS every year.
   "As a freshman, from the start, we’ve been swimming him 200 and 500," Hand said. "It’s nice to watch somebody develop year to year. The kids that swim club obviously come in every preseason better than they were before. Other kids come in bigger than were before, but sometimes they have to start over each year. James has always come in faster than he was when he left the year before. He’s always more knowledgeable, faster, more technically proficient. He’s had a great trajectory in terms of being able to help us every year.
   "He goes well beyond the expectations we have for club kids as far as being on deck and in the water, just really being a part of things. All the CVC coaches tell you same thing, to have the guys that swim so much year-round fully bought into the idea that when the high school swim team is on, if they don’t just make time but dedicated themselves to the team, that’s a special thing. He’s shown that since freshman year. He’s a role model in that sense."
   The Little Tigers certainly have enough young swimmers who could benefit from following Beslity’s example. Seeing them in their first races Thursday was a starting point.
   "It was good for the team morale," Beslity said. "It was a great start. It’s good to show the freshmen what we can do. Traditionally, we have beaten Steinert. We didn’t go in expecting to win, but we thought we could do it. It was good to get off to a good start."
   Added Hand: "We’re trying to have a team that’s ready to function at its best when the tough meets come. They’re working on building the right mindset. With the loss of just a couple folks, our guys’ team is substantially less deep than last year. We’ll be really challenged this year to win as many as last year. Regardless of that, if we have a mindset of being sure we are going to go as far as we can, and not approach it with a maybe attitude, but with that determination that regardless of the opponent we know how we’re going to behave, I think it’ll be a great season. The first stages of that were (Thursday)."
   It seems a long time since Beslity was in the starting stages of his freshman year. He’s grown faster each year, and now as a senior will be counted on to be fast in a few different events. It’s what the Little Tiger boys’ swim team needs this year, and James Beslity is happy to oblige.
   "The expectations are high," he said. "I have tried to improve every year on times and improve on technique every year. It’s hard. He’s expecting a certain time and I don’t want to let him down. If I don’t get it, I know the next time I’ll have to do it all the harder."