Nordhoff's Quin Seider is The Star's Boys Swimmer of the Year for the 2022 season
Game of inches? Quin Seider's favorite sport comes down to fractions.
"If I can hit a mark one-tenth of a second faster, it's so exciting," says the Nordhoff High sophomore. "That's what I work for. I can't tell you how happy that makes me feel."
It's the little details that add up, making Seider a burgeoning star among the Southland's high school swimmers.
Long hours, hard work and a teenager's dedication have rendered significant achievements in two seasons as a high school competitor.
A year after winning a CIF-Southern Section championship in the 100 butterfly in Division 4, Seider moved up to Division 3 and powered to a pair of top-3 finishes in the speed events.
He was second in the 50 freestyle in 20.86 seconds and third in the 100 freestyle in 46.02 in the championship finals at Mission Viejo High on May 7.
Different division, different events and Seider still prospered. His achievements earn the Rangers' 10th-grader honors as The Star's Boys Swimmer of the Year for the 2022 season.
"I feel really good about it," he said. "I preferred competing in Division 3 against higher competition. There are some fast guys. That's the way to get better, go up against the best."
Seider said the change in events allows him to expand his repertoire.
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"Last year my coaches felt that the butterfly was my best chance to do well in CIF, and that's exactly what happened," he said. "I still love swimming the fly. I also enjoy doing the speed events and this season I wanted to test myself in those races.
"The freestyle races are so much fun. There's no time to think about anything but going as fast as I can."
Seider's top-3 placements came amid a weighty challenge. He contracted COVID-19 in the weeks before, forcing him to miss the Citrus Coast League finals at Malibu High on April 27.
That left him with 10 days to recover and gear up for the Southern Section championships.
"It was a difficult," he said. "It wasn't the best way to prepare for CIF, and maybe I wasn't as strong as I could have been. But it all worked out."
For good measure, Seider became the first Nordhoff swimmer to compete in the CIF-State championships. He placed 15th in the 50 freestyle at 21.02 and 25th in the 100 freestyle at 46.55 at Clovis High on May 17.
"It was fantastic," he said. "Great atmosphere, and I couldn't help but get caught up in the fact so many great swimmers were there. These are the best in the state and it was so good to see where I fit in and what I can do to get better."
Seider's love for swimming comes via bloodlines.
His mother Weinke is a gifted swimmer who has set numerous records in masters' competition. His father Brandon is a longtime swim coach.
"It was natural that I'd get into swimming with my parents so involved in the sport," he said. "I think I was in the water as a baby. I started swimming seriously when I was 7. It's something I've always enjoyed."
Along the way, he's learned the ideal mindset to take into races.
"I need to stay relaxed," he said. "If I'm relaxed, I feel fresh."
Top swimmers value improving times even more that race finishes. Seider knows that chase so well.
Early-morning or late-evening workouts can stretch into hours, days and weeks in search of incremental improvement to a best time. When it finally arrives, the feeling of euphoria is like stepping onto dry land after weeks adrift at sea.
"It's an amazing feeling," he said. "It might be just a fraction improvement, but it feels like a mile."
Like all top swimmers, Seider continues to refine techniques that include hand placement on strokes and the ideal flip at the turn.
Among his top performances for his sophomore season came at the Ventura County Championships at the Ventura Aquatic Center in March. Seider set two meet records in winning the 50 freestyle in 20.88 and the 100 freestyle in 45.68.
The 100 free clocking would be his top mark. He bettered the 50 free time at the Division 3 finals.
"The meet isn't sanctioned, so the times are not recognized," he said. "But that felt pretty good. Always a good feeling to see the work pay off."
Though Seider is forever in quest of top times, he knows what place he has in mind for next season's CIF-SS championships.
"I want to win," he said. "It's something I'm really going to shoot for next year."
In the meantime, a swimmer's work is never done. It's another busy summer for Seider, including USA's Future Championships in July.
THE STAR'S ALL-COUNTY BOYS SWIMMING SECOND TEAM
Ben Butler, Camarillo
Paul Patterson, Camarillo
Owen Robison, Camarillo
Nico Macias, St. Bonaventure
Marshall Yuan, Oak Park
Mark Mashkovich, Westlake
Joshua McBride, Oaks Christian
Luigi Travi, Villanova Prep
Loren Ledin is the Prep Editor for The Star. He can be reached at loren.ledin@vcstar.com or 805-437-0285.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Nordhoff's Quin Seider is The Star's Boys Swimmer of the Year
