What can’t you find on Groupon these days?
In her never-ending search to improve herself as a swimmer and athlete, Sandburg senior Clare Lawlor found an opportunity she might not have thought of otherwise.
This summer’s out-of-the-box idea was barre training at The Dailey Method.
“My mom had tried it once before, and she said it was hard,” Lawlor said with a laugh. “We gave her a hard time for saying that a stretching class was hard … but it was. There was a Groupon for it, so me and my brother, Michael, did it every day for a few weeks before the season.”
In only three seasons, Lawlor has five state medals to her name, including two from last year when she finished seventh in the state in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyles.
She didn’t get there by doing the same old, either. Last summer, Lawlor boxed. This summer, never being content, she wanted to try something new.
“Clare seeks so much out on her own time,” Sandburg coach Anna McBride said. “She’s on top of her nutrition and diet and knows what she wants to get done.”
Lawlor hopes that her work ethic ends up adding more state hardware to an already impressive resume. Even though she finished seventh in both the 50 and 100 free last year in the consolation heats, her times were actually third-best in the state.
“Nothing new from before about goals,” Lawlor said. “It’s about going out there and performing your best when it matters.”
Her contributions, though, will be both in and out of the pool this season. The Eagles boast a talented but young team that lost 11 seniors to graduation, so Lawlor’s experience is more important than ever.
Although all of her seniors serve as team captains, McBride has noticed Lawlor fully embracing the leadership role.
“Clare knows what we value as a program and is great about expressing it from her perspective,” McBride said. “I can say the same things, but it means more coming from her.”
Of course, she’s still having fun while leading.
“She tried to convince me for two years that laughing was a better workout than what I was doing,” McBride said. “She wants to have fun while working hard.”
Now, as she looks ahead to closing out her high school career out strong while also juggling her college choice, Lawlor knows how tough the road to get here has been. She definitely wants to swim in college as well.
Lawlor was part of a state relay as a freshman, a breakout individual star as a sophomore, and overcame an emotional junior year for her, the program and the school as longtime Sandburg coach Jane Caliendo passed away from colon cancer.
Through it all, she especially leaned on her family, especially her parents, Kathy and Sean. Lawlor is the first to acknowledge the ups and downs, but she keeps at it.
She doesn’t know any other way.
“Swimming has always been the one place I can go to clear my head and think,” Lawlor said. “It’s always been there for me. I want to stay true to it and keep enjoying myself. Last year was a pretty low ‘down,’ but the ‘ups’ have been such great rewards.”
Tim O’Brien is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.
GIRLS SWIMMING
Teams To Watch
Lincoln-Way East: Griffins are loaded, returning five state-qualifying swimmers, including Makayla Varga and Fiona McDermott. East wants to win conference, sectional and do damage at state, and has the talent to do so.
Lincoln-Way North: With North closing at the end of the academic year, Phoenix are especially motivated. Cassidy DeGraff swam in three events last year at state. North taking aim at seventh straight conference title.
Sandburg: Eagles are young this season with a strong sophomore class, but coach Anna McBride is confident her team has the ability to step up. It doesn’t hurt to have Clare Lawlor and her five state medals as an ace in the hole.
Stagg: Chargers coach Matthew Niemeier likes what he’s seen out of his team as Stagg boasts a deeper, more versatile lineup. Watch out for Lauren DeAngelis, Megan Vallance, Claire VanDame and Lauren Johnson.
Tinley Park: The South Suburban is especially tough this year, with an abundance of teams bringing back a ton of talent, but the Titans are the strongest. Also watch out for Lemont, Richards, Oak Lawn, Reavis and Oak Forest.
Swimmers & Divers To Watch
Kim Bernhard, Lincoln-Way Central; Sarah Coffman, Richards; Cassidy DeGraff, Lincoln-Way North; Carolyn Dietz, Lockport; Sarah Hennessey, Lincoln-Way North; Alex Knutte, Lemont; Clare Lawlor, Sandburg; Alex Malmborg, Reavis; Fiona McDermott, Lincoln-Way East; Emma Ruchala, Andrew; Caitlyn Schreiber, Lincoln-Way West; Makayla Varga, Lincoln-Way East; Jessica Wirtz, Lockport.
