San Rafael's Hery a Team Guy With Individual Success

The boys swim team hasn’t had a whole lot of success in recent years, so when asked to pick a highlight for his career with the Bulldogs, senior Pierre Hery didn’t have to give it a whole lot of thought.

Surprisingly, though, he singled out a team event over one of his individual swims where he’s had so much success.

“It was last year when we swam against Branson,” he recalled. “The score was very close and it came down to the last relay – me, Elvis (Huinac) and two other guys. I was the anchor. It was a very, very close race. I won it.”

This year, Hery and Huinac are two of just four fulltime swimmers on the entire San Rafael team. And again, Hery prefers to talk about the foursome rather than himself.

“It’s true that swimming is an individual sport because it’s about getting your best time. This year, there’s really no team aspect to it,” he said. “But the fact that our team is a close-knit group of friends … the sense of community and friendship keeps us going.”

Hery is going, all right. He’s going faster and faster, and as a result, closer and closer to goals he has set for himself in the 50 and 100 freestyle events.

“I’m trying to break the 23-second barrier in 50 free and get beneath the 50-second barrier in the 100 free,” he said, noting his best times are 23.7 and 52.0, respectively.

“Realistically, it’s probably not going to happen. As a swimmer, you don’t see much improvement if you’ve been swimming a long period of time. Maybe .5 (in the 50) over the course this season, two seconds in the 100. So it’s going to be very difficult for me to reach those marks.”

And when you factor in the pressure of the upcoming Marin County Athletic League Championships …

Actually, Hery believes the pressure might help push him to greater heights.

“Everyone cheering you on … I enjoy the pressure,” he claimed. “Without the pressure, without the competition, I don’t know how I would improve. So pressure is a good thing.

“The MCALs is the big meet. All the best of the teams get together and we swim. That’s the time where there’s so much pressure. It’s the last meet; that’s where you want to be at your best.

“We’ll see if I can make it.”

Hery, who began swimming at age 6, has made his mark on San Rafael swimming whether or not he reaches his goals, coach assures.

“My two seniors (Hery and Huinac), they’ve both been swimming for four years, coming to almost every practice,” he said. “When you put together a team, they’re the kids you really want. They’re passionate about it and they work hard and they come to practice.

“Sounds simple, but it goes a long way when you have kids showing up every day.”

Hery also played water polo for the Bulldogs. But as he moves on to U.C. Davis in the fall, he wants to continue swimming.

“Overall, water polo is more fun. It’s fun to score goals,” he admitted. “But swimming is more important to me because I’ve been doing it longer. You can set goals. It’s all up to you to make the best out of it.”

The MCAL meet is next Friday at Redwood. The pressure is mounting.

Hery can’t wait.

SAN RAFAEL BOYS SWIMMING UPDATE

Record: 0-8 in MCAL.

Coach Matt Swanson’s comments: “For whatever reason, San Rafael is not an aquatic school. We’ve had four kids who are consistently coming. That’s not enough to be competitive in a swim meet. So everyone is swimming for themselves, trying to improve their times.

Upcoming schedule: Friday at home vs. Tam, 4 p.m.; MCAL Championships, May 13, at Redwood.