Drew Larkins likes a challenge.
He always has and always will.
Whether lining up next to the swiftest swimmers in the state or propelling himself high into the air off a diving board or even staring down a beast in the wild, the Parkway Central senior never has been short on seeking thrills.
This weekend Larkins will be among the state's finest at the Missouri swimming and diving championships Friday and Saturday at the St. Peter's Rec-Plex.
But he will be the only one that has earned state qualifying credentials in both the pool and on the diving board.
Larkins eclipsed the qualifying point total for diving just weeks ago. He's seeded 16th in diving and has decided not to participate, instead focusing on his swimming tasks. Nevertheless, the goal was accomplished.
"I was so ecstatic," Larkins said. "Most (swimmers) can't bridge the gap. I've had my eye on it, and we were really pushing hard down the stretch.
"My coach has mentioned that only three people have done it before, and this year I'm the only one in the state."
Larkins has been setting goals and reaching them ever since he started competing in the sport.
"Drew is a guy who always keeps a goal or two on the horizon," Parkway Central coach Kevin Mabie said. "Some guys may break a minute in the 100 breaststroke, finish fourth at the state championship, win all-state honors and be satisfied, but Drew came out this season determined to break our school record in breaststroke, win a state championship in breaststroke, and just as determined to qualify for state as a diver. And while there is some personal glory involved in these goals, they are in large part related to our team goals -- especially the diving. He did that because we needed somebody to step into that role and make it a strong event for us, when it would have been a weak one."
Larkins won't be at it alone. The Colts are gunning for another top five finish. The versatile Nick Orf has established himself as a top 500 freestyler, 200 freestyler, 200 IM, 100 butterfly and 100 freestyler. The Colts' 200 medley relay is as fierce as it comes. Its 400 freestyle relay will be in medal contention, as well. Brandon Weissman is a state title contender in the 100 backstroke and can also hold his own in the 200 IM.
"We're really happy with our regular season and excited about the meet," Mabie said. "We know the mindset it takes to finish in the top of the standings as we experienced finishing third last year. So right now, we're just incredibly focused, and Friday can't come soon enough."
Larkins' 6-foot-3 muscular body type makes him stick out among the others.
"You look at divers and they're pretty slender, not big and bulky," he said. "When I get up there, they look at me like, ‘What are you doing over here?'"
Larkins started swimming competitively as an 8-year-old. It was in those early years that he tried diving and really fell for it.
Fast forward to his junior season at Parkway Central, and the Colts were running thin on the diving depth chart. So Larkins volunteered.
"When I started back up I had no remembrance of how to do any of the dives," Larkins said.
But the muscle memory returned quickly. Larkins was always in the mix during the diving portion of the meets, and he went on the finish third in the conference as a junior.
Any diver has to get over the initial fear, and he was no different.
"It can be extremely scary," Larkins said. "You are 10 feet or more up in the air and you could easily smack the board."
That exact thing happened during his junior season, when he wacked the board on a reverse one-and-a-half.
Larkins keeps a clear mind and incorporates visualization prior to each of his dives.
"Then I take a couple of deep breaths and go for it," he said. "I've always enjoyed pushing myself to greater degrees of difficulty. Then this year, everything clicked."
Last year, the Colts finished an area-best third in the state. But nine seniors are gone from that team.
"We thought that maybe that would be the end of it because we didn't have as much depth," Larkins said. "But we kept training hard and realized that we could do this."
LAFAYETTE SEEKS ANOTHER TITLE RUN
Lafayette coach Todd Gabel has plenty of talent and versatility to make a state title run.
Patrick Vega, who can swim in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, and 100 backstroke, lead the way. Vega placed second in the 500 freestyle and third in the 200 freestyle last season. John Glaser is a title contender in the 100 and 200 freestyles and 200 IM. Lucas Bruder could provide plenty of points in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. The Lancers' 400 freestyle and 200 medley relays also have gold-medal potential.
Rockhurst is the seven-time defending state champion.
