Dedicated Timberland swimmer Sansoucie sets sights on more marks
Similar to the groove he finds while playing bass guitar, Andrew Sansoucie was dialed in at the state swimming and diving championships.
You want dialed in? Sansoucie set the state record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 48.14 seconds. He also won the 50 freestyle in 20.69 seconds.
Sansoucie's state-meet effort was the culmination of a superb season for the Timberland junior, and it locked up his hold on Post-Dispatch All-Metro honors as the swimmer of the year.
After trying every sport he could think of from basketball to baseball to martial arts, Sansoucie decided to give swimming a try just seven years ago.
"Nothing stuck until I tried swimming," said Sansoucie, 17. "I instantly loved it, and I was good at it."
Good indeed.
As a freshman at Holt -- he transfered to Timberland as a sophomore -- Sansoucie was a second-team All-Metro selection. Last year, he was a first-team All-Metro honoree placing second in the 100 butterfly (50.90) and fourth in the 50 free (21.42).
Last summer, he proved he was ready to begin winning big meets when he took gold at the Speedo Junior National Championships. Sansoucie won his title in the junior national ‘B' final of the 100-meter butterfly. The victory qualified Sansoucie for the 2012 Olympic Trials.
"After that, I knew I could do pretty much what I wanted to if I set my mind to it," Sansoucie said. "Going for the record and getting wins in those two events at state was what kept me going."
Training for swimming can be arduous and lonely. Focus and dedication are pushed to the limit. Sanscoucie excels in the pool because he is dedicated to training. Timberland coach Theresa Cordonier said it is Sansoucie's grind-it-out approach that lifts him above the pack.
He does two-a-day sessions. He is at it three days a week, two hours (and longer) for each session.
"It's difficult, and there are long hours," he said. "But you have to focus on the long term and what all of this is going for."
With the fall season wrapped up, Sansoucie plans to cut back on his workouts and relax a bit. There will be less time in the pool and more time playing bass in jam sessions with his friends.
He will crank up his pool time again after the holiday break. The Missouri Grand Prix and Junior Nationals are around the corner in February and March. When those events are wrapped up, he will move to the club season, swimming for the St. Peters Sharks.
And from there, he will dive into his last go-around as a Timberland swimmer. He has his sights set on breaking the state record in the 50 freestyle and lowering his mark in the butterfly.
It will be tough. Sansoucie isn't complaining. He figures as long as he's in the water and competing, life is good.
"I have met some of my best friends through swimming," he said. "I just love the way it makes me feel."
