Cape swimmer to 'soak up the sun' at Florida Gulf Coast

You know that positive feeling that came over you today, as the temperature climbed over 70 degrees and the sun beamed down on Southeast Missouri? Yeah? Now imagine feeling that all winter long.

That is a key reason why the top high school girl swimmer in the state of Missouri, Cape Central High School junior Sydney Ringwald, recently decided to commit to competing at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.

“I’ve always wanted to swim outside and swim in Florida,” Ringwald said. “So, the fact that I found a school that fits me, and fits what I want in Florida, it was the perfect fit for me.”

From the swim program’s perspective, Ringwald would be a “perfect fit” almost anywhere.

She is coming off being named the MSHSAA Class 1 Swimmer of the Year after winning three events (50 free, 100 free, and a member of the 200 free relay), as well as finishing second in the 400 free relay event. The latter wasn’t a victory in the specific race, but Ringwald’s anchor leg sealed the team championship for the Tigers, who beat runner-up Clayton by a mere 1 ½ points after Clayton smoked the remainder of the field in that last race.

“With Sydney on the end,” veteran Cape Central coach Dayna Powell said, “I felt like we would be second (and win the team title).”

The championships weren’t a first for Ringwald. As a sophomore, she finished second in both the 50 and 100 free events but won a pair of state titles.

Ringwald anchored the winning 200 free relay, as well as the 400 free relay, which Cape Central won in a state record time.

“Sydney is really talented,” Powell said. “She has a nice, strong swimming body.”

Her length in the water, as well as her times, caught the attention of colleges. Add in the fact that the swimmers and divers in Southeast Missouri haven’t had an ideal training regimen for two seasons due to the construction work on Central Municipal Pool yet have still performed exemplary as compared to the rest of the state, and the potential for Ringwald to swim even better is immense.

“One thing about this team,” Powell said, “is they are big meet swimmers. They show up and they take it seriously.”

Florida Gulf Coast takes its swimming “seriously.”

The Eagles have an eight-lane 50-meter (long course) pool, as well as a 6-lane, 25-yard pool (short course) to train in, and both are outdoors, which piqued Ringwald’s interest.

“Sometimes when you’re swimming inside,” Ringwald said, “the air can get bad (with humidity). But when you are outside, it is just fresh air, and sun, and everything about it is nice.

“Swimming outside is perfect for me. I just love it.”

A great aspect of swimming is that an athlete knows exactly how they will compete at the next level, based on times.

Ringwald’s recent 23.92 in the 50 free would have been the seventh-best time swum this season at Florida Gulf Coast while her 51.95 in the 100 free would be the fourth fastest by an Eagle swimmer this year. Also, keep in mind that Ringwald is 18 months away from competing for Florida Gulf Coast, AND she hasn’t trained legitimately in two years.

“It’s definitely Sydney’s strength,” Powell said, “being in those sprint events. Sydney was so ready to be (at State) and get those (championships) under her belt.

“She wanted to come to the (State Finals) and say ‘Hey, I’m hitting that wall first.’”