(Photo by Denyce Weiler)Name: Austin Arizala
Age: 17
Residence: Tualatin
Grade/school: Senior, Tualatin High School
Team: Varsity swimming
Coach: Jeanine Serrano
Highlights: Won the 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly and was part of the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams in a recent meet against Newberg.
How he got started: “I did swim lessons until I was 8 years old, and then joined the Tigard Tualatin Swim Club. I have been swimming ever since, so it was only natural to swim as part of the Tualatin High School team as well.”
Coach’s advice: “Perfect practice makes perfect. Train the way you want to race. Beat the guy next to you.”
Favorite part of sport: “Spending obscene amounts of time at the pool with my teammates.”
Favorite meal the night before the big event: “A heaping plate of spaghetti.”
Offseason? “I swim year-round.”
Rules to live by: “Be positive. Manage your time well. Work on the little things, they make a big difference.”
Hobbies: “I enjoy reading when I have the time.”
On his iPod: A Day to Remember, My Chemical Romance, Rise Against, Taylor Swift.
Books on his nightstand: “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card, “Dies the Fire” by S.M. Stirling and “The Way of Shadows” by Brent Weeks.
The one thing someone may not know about him: “I love reading and have over 100 books in my room.”
