Junior Tyler Lu is one of the swimmers for the Malden High swim team and specializes in 100 meter freestyle. This is his second year swimming for the swim team, but he has been swimming since he was much younger. He began swimming since he was five years old but decided to stop when he was 12 for a short time because “[he] wasn’t enjoying it as much” but now “enjoys swimming again.” When he began his sophomore year he decided he would swim again because he had friends on the team like Kevin Ochoa and Luis Gilbert.
Tyler’s specialty is the 100 meter freestyle, with his personal best being one minute and eleven seconds. Tyler said that he “hopes to get 1:08 by the end of the season, and continue to improve” and that “[he] may be a fast swimmer, but [he] needs to improve on [his] endurance.”
He hopes that the team makes states and believes that “states are a great thing” to strive for. Tyler said that the “chemistry is great on the team and everyone is friendly. People try and push each other to achieve success, which is one of the strengths that the team has. During his free time, Tyler enjoys playing games, basketball, and football.
Tyler would like to continue swimming in the future, but states that “it would only be to stay in shape, not professionally” or at the collegiate level. Tyler looks up to one of his friends and fellow swimmers Kevin Ochoa, who is also a junior at Malden High. He said that he looks up to him because he is such a good swimmer.
One of Tyler’s fellow swimmers and friend, Kevin Ochoa, who has known Tyler since the sixth grade said that “Tyler is always available to do things that the team needs, which is one of his biggest strengths and this can motivate the new members of the team because he performs well in the role and has fun while doing it.” He continued to praise Tyler is “fluent in the fundamentals of swimming which are made evident every time he swims.”
When asked about his leadership, Kevin said that “Tyler is that kid who always makes the effort to aquatint with and become great friends with all new coming swimmers, which is why he’s such a treasured member of the team.”
Tyler seems to be one of the key features of the team, because Kevin also described him as being “as good as you can get” stating that “Tyler always gives it his all” , and that “[they] all love having him around.”
