It has been quite the strange spring for most high school seniors, and that’s especially true for those seniors with Olympic aspirations. With his sights set on competing for a spot on the Olympic Team, Carson Foster was one of those who chose to graduate high school a semester early in order to focus on swimming in the run-up to what was supposed to be the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, before heading to the University of Texas this fall. Obviously those plans were put on hold with the Olympics and the USA Olympic Trials being postponed. In the wake of those postponements, Foster’s made yet another change to the plan, opting to head to Austin at the beginning of the summer, rather than waiting to the end.
Foster took to Instagram to thank the Mason Manta Rays, specifically head coach Ken Heis, as he prepared to depart Ohio this week.
In a statement to SwimSwam, Foster elaborated on the people who have helped shape his swimming journey thus far.
I am so grateful for my time at Rays. This summer wasn’t how I imagined it going of course but it doesn’t take away from all the memories and lessons I’ve gained being apart of Mason. Mason is truly a special place to be. And Scott Goodpaster at Cincinnati Functional Fitness has been my trainer for 9 years and has had an priceless impact on my siblings and my success in the sport of swimming. His attitude and energy he brought towards us and the sport is unlike any other.
Back in December, Foster told us that at one point he had contemplated heading down to Austin for the spring, but ultimately had decided to stick with the Manta Rays and Heis, the coach who helped him on the way to becoming one of the top swimmers in the nation. Foster holds the 15-16 National Age Group records for the long course 200 IM and 400 IM, is part of several NAG-breaking relays with the Manta Rays, and holds the high school national record in the 200 free. Additionally, last year he made the senior USA National Team in the 200 IM and 400 IM.
All that to say, Foster was quite comfortable with his plan of sticking with Heis and the Manta Rays through the summer, had the Olympics been held this year. But once the Olympics and Trials, along with the rest of major competitions, were postponed, Foster started thinking that it would make sense to head down to Austin sooner rather than later.
“The decision was made easier by Ken helping me through the pros and cons and really being supportive of me heading down there. I also love the city of Austin and am dying to get down there,” Foster told SwimSwam.
While he can’t start training with the Longhorns right away, Foster plans on training at other sites locally until he can get started on classes and in the water with the Texas team. Swim clubs throughout Texas have slowly started getting back in the water over the last month, while the NCAA recently said that Division I teams could resume voluntary workouts starting June 1st.
No matter when he’s able to start training with the college team, Foster shouldn’t need too long to get too comfortable in Austin, as he’s already pretty familiar with a good chunk of the Longhorns team. His brother, Jake, just finished his freshman year at Texas, while Carson has been on USA Junior Pacs or Junior Worlds teams with Longhorns Drew Kibler, Daniel Krueger, Matthew Willenbring, and Peter Larson, as well fellow incoming freshman Ethan Heasley.
Historically, some swimmers have been reluctant to make the drastic change from living and training at home to heading to college in the year leading to the Olympics. In 2015, high school seniors Abbey Weitzeil and Katie Ledecky both decided to defer enrolling at Cal and Stanford, respectively, until after the Rio Olympics, and that seemed to work well for them. On the other hand, Townley Haas had a huge freshman year at Texas during the 2015-2016 season, becoming the first man to swim under 1:31 in the 200 yard freestyle, and then making the Olympic team in the individual 200 free, ultimately winning a gold medal as part of Team USA’s 4×200.
Do you think Foster and Farris are heading back to college because they are betting the 2021 Olympics aren’t happening?
I don’t know that I’d make that leap. Other good conjectures are that, for Dean, he wanted to make sure he was able to complete his Harvard education. For Carson, Mason doesn’t have access to a 50 meter pool most of the year in the best times, and at Texas he’ll get first access – if pools are open at all, he’ll get full-time 50 meter training.
Best wishes to Carson! Another great to come out of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. He’s going to continue to have an awesome career at Texas.
Gotta say there was a huge difference between HS seniors Ledecky and Weitzell vs Haas. Not exactly comparing apples to apples there. Foster’s biggest advantage in the transition will be having his brother there to show him the ropes.
Holy smokes – he’s had a trainer since he was 9?
Money isn’t a prerequisite for being an amazing swimmer, but it sure helps.
It wasn’t even money that spurned the thought – it’s the prevailing swim coach notion of “they’ll get everything they need in practice until they’re done with high school” (so no lifting or other training), but then you find out what the top kids actually do and it calls that notion into question (the big eye opener for me was the weightroom scene from the Missy Franklin movie.)
I disagree with your statement. I am having a hard time coming up with the name of any senior level coach that doesn’t support some type of dryland program. Many argue over the merits of lifting versus not lifting, but it seems like it has been at least 15 years since I’ve heard any coach say that he or she doesn’t have some sort of dryland program in place.
Also in the late 90s and and through the 2000s weight lifting was still associated with big and bulky people (football players bodybuilders powerlifters).
I also remember hearing from adults that it would stunt growth through by fusing growth plates. I think that had more to do with prominent power lifters being shorter. (Which is up there with my grandparents telling me playing basketball will make me tall.)
Not dryland…lifting/weights…
wheres he gonna stay?
With his HS eligibility up, he can stay with any of his teammates or even a friend that lives by Texas. Plenty of clubs within 15min of campus that have families in the school area.
His brother might have an apartment for summer or he could be subletting from a teammate
He will be sharing an apartment with his brother.
Best of luck!
Good for him, might as well get started at college with all this uncertainty.