Team title drives McGraw

Jeff DiVeronica
Staff writer

(November 11, 2005) — PERINTON — Erin McGraw touches the wall first a lot.

In fact, whether it's freestyle or backstroke or butterfly, the Fairport swimmer rarely loses a race. But in her mind, McGraw isn't competing against anyone else. Her opponent is time, so when she touches that wall, her eyes go immediately to the clock.

"That feeling of looking up and seeing your best time, because you can't do that every time, that is the best feeling," says McGraw, a junior who takes aim at adding a few more victories to her resume at Saturday's Section V Class A championships at State University College at Brockport.

This is the 16-year-old's third year with Fairport's talented team and she has never lost a race at the Section V meet, whether individual or as part of a relay. But that's not what Saturday's is all about for McGraw, a 93-average student and driven athlete who coach Mike Kennedy says will compete for a top-10 college swim program at the next level.

It's also about T-E-A-M.

Supreme depth has helped Pittsford coach Marty Keating's group win the past three championships.

"The rivalry is so great," says McGraw. "It's ridiculous how pumped up we all get."

The competition pushes the girls to faster times and is partly the reason the Rochester area is home to some of the best swimmers in the state.

Count McGraw among them.

The third member of her family to swim for the Red Raiders, following siblings Megan (age 21) and Matt (19), McGraw will defend her titles in the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly on Saturday. She is also back on last year's winning 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay teams, which also captured state championships. She was fourth in the 200 free and sixth in the 100 fly last fall at states.

"She's a very mature athlete, a very mature person," Kennedy says. "Her strength is her practice habits. She's hard on herself in practice, but she's very determined and confident in herself."

Swimming is in McGraw's blood. Her grandfather, James Johnson, and mother, Kathy, both were competitive swimmers. After the family moved from the Syracuse suburb of Camillus to Fairport when Erin was 8, she began competing. She was a longtime member of the Penfield-based Sea Dragons Swim Club before recently switching her club affiliation to F.A.S.T.

Her freshman season with Fairport included sectional titles in the 100 free, 100 backstroke, the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay. Those two relay teams, along with the 400 free relay, have all set school records.

McGraw also owns Fairport marks in the 200 individual medley (2 minutes, 7.3 seconds) and 200 freestyle (1:52.32), which is second best all-time in Section V.

At 5-foot-3, she has a powerfully built, compact body. Kennedy saw potential the first time he saw her swim.

"Her alignment, her posture in the water, you could just see her feel for it," he remembers. "We thought she could go far. She's an elite swimmer."

And McGraw pushes herself, which is the mark of all great swimmers. She has goals, but they're not just about winning.

"If I'm able to swim a best time and it even comes close to first at states," McGraw says, emphasizing again that it's more about improving than winning, "then I'd be happy with that."

Kennedy sees the big picture, too, when it comes to McGraw.

"Some of our goals for her are not at this level, they're for college," he says.

"We want her to be as successful as she can be right now, but we also want her to be used to the hard training that's going to come in college."

Originally published in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

2005