Chuck Katis' time of 30.07 seconds in the 50 breaststroke is the area's fastest this summer. (Courtesy of Chuck Katis)
In sprint races, time is so precious and fleeting that some parts of a swimmer’s repertoire can’t be accommodated.
“You can’t think,” Langley senior Chuck Katis said. “You just don’t have time.”
While he says they are not exactly his specialty, Katis has thought plenty about what makes a successful sprint – and has used all that thinking effectively. Not only has he swum the 50 breast more than second faster than anyone else in the area this summer (30.07 seconds) for Highlands of the Northern Virginia Swimming League, he also swam the second leg of Langley’s 200 medley relay team that set a national short-course record (1:45.38) at the Virginia AAA championships last February in Virginia Beach, and, the following month, finished second in the 50 breast at the NCSA Junior National Championships in Orlando.
Sprints, Katis said, are a unique challenge for swimmers because their brevity magnifies any mistakes. Unlike, say, a 200- or 400-meter race, in which a swimmer has the time to make up for a mistake with a strong lap or a prolonged burst, sprints don’t afford them the opportunity to do so.
“Really, in 25, 30 seconds, what can you do?” Katis said. “In the 200, you have time. You can use the first 50 to get yourself into the race. In the 50, you’ve got to be ready before they blow the whistle. Last week, I heard some people saying how they spend more than the hour before [the race] getting ready for a sprint.
“The 50 is a lot of adrenaline, but it’s also a lot more.”
Katis said the majority of his thinking occurs before the whistle – how he can maximize his dive into the water, how he can minimize the number of strokes.
The one thought that never enters his mind is what to do when a mistake happens. Unless a world record is set, no swimmer is ever fully content with his race, so there are inevitable moments when a stroke, kick, touch or turn isn’t right. In a longer race, swimmers might have a chance to register the mistake, consider what to do to make up for it, and then act it out.
“If you slip on the wall or on the touch, or if you hit the wall on a half-stroke and then you don’t get the full push off the wall, that can really hurt you,” Katis said. “But you’ve got to throw it out of your head.”
That’s because, in a sprint, there’s no time for that.
“The key to that is whenever I get a thought like this, I tell myself not to listen,” Katis said. “I’ve learned that the more you listen to that, the more you make mistakes.”
Katis said he often refers to Michael Phelps’ performance at the 2008 Summer Olympics when he set the world record in the 200 butterfly despite having his goggles fill with water the last half of the race.
“At that moment,” Katis said, “You just go with your instincts. You’re counting your strokes and trying to keep going. When you realize you messed something up, you try to do everything you can to make it up.
“But for a sprint, a lot if it comes from psyching yourself up from before you jump in.”
As he approaches the final few meters of a race, Katis said, especially in the breaststroke, leg power becomes paramount.
“People don’t understand how powerful your legs can be in the breaststroke,” he said. “That’s what the last few meters are all about.”
Even though he has eliminated the occasional slip in his stroke, tweaked the slightest contortion of his body, and found more fluidity with his finish, Katis still knows that, despite his top times, he is still far from completing his ideal sprint.
“If I correct one thing, there’s always one other thing I thought that could be better,” he said. “I’ve never had the perfect race.”
Tags: Michael Phelps
Imagine that…another feature story about another Corl Burke Swimmer, with a CUBU picture that he submitted himself …. did you not read the comments last week??? It’s great that the POST is giving swimming exposure, but most os are real tired of having CUBU and RMSC shoved down our throats… please find something different
Swim mom, Can’t you say anything positivew about one of the nicest & talented swimmers in the area. The POST contacted him, and if you think the POST has a huge staff of photographers who can cover all the stories – you are wrong. Typically, they ask for a picture to be submitted.
The story angle was the top NVSL time in the 50 breast and no mention of CUBU. So that seems to be your problem.
cUrl burke. Spell it right…
Oh and congrats to Chuck Katis! He’s cookin on that breaststroke.
way to go chuck. what a kind and well dressed young gentlemen. this is well deserved for a national champion.
This is a really interesting article… I wish people would stop bashing this site, i think it is great!
Chuck is a really talented swimmer. He deserves recognition.
Way to go Chuck! Congratulations!
Chuck, I am very proud of you. You are an incredible athlete and exemplify what dedication and hard work are all about. I know; I am your mom! Love you.
Chuck is one of the hardest workers. He deserves this and much more, he won the 100 breast at the past NCSA championships last march and caught up to give the lead, to cubu’s A relay, in the 4×100 medley realy. His hard work spreads through the team making us want to work harder, that is why curl-burke is written about.
Chuck Katis is one of the most hard working and humble people I know. His hard work isn’t limited to just his swimming. He is also dedicated to his family, his faith, school and community service. One of the finest young men I know and certainly deserving of all the kudos. Congratulations Chuck! (Perhaps swimmom needs to reevaluate where she spends her energy.)
Chuck Katis is very articulate here, the article gave me insight into just some of the work distilled in the 25 seconds.
In Divisionals this weekend, Chuck swam a 29.50 in the 50 breaststroke – the 2nd fastest in NVSL history. Just behind Olympian Gold Medalist Ed Moses. It’s been a pleasure to watch Chuck each week as a member of his summer team, not just for his unbelievable swims, but the way he handles himself with all the younger kids and parents. You would never know what an incredible swimmer he is – he is such a gentle soul.
Congratulations Chuckie! We are all very proud of you!
Swimmon has been pretty quiet for a while. Chuck is one of the finest young men / athletes I have ever known and I have coached a bunch. I’m glad there is such a majority out there that recognizes these qualities and that there are so few (one) that don’t. Good luck to Chuck in the London Olympics whether Swimmon likes it or not.