Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Carly Geehr - Rested and ready

Tony Altobelli

When healthy and injury-free, Newport Harbor High swimming standout

Carly Geehr is one of the top swimmers in the country.

The key word there is “when.”

After a long recovery from a rotator cuff injury, followed by a long

bout with a winter illness, Geehr is back and she showed it during last

week’s Foothill Swim Games.

The junior clocked Orange County-leading times in the 200-yard

individual medley (2:04.61) and 500 freestyle (5:00.76).

“I was really happy with my performance at the Foothill Games, that’s

for sure,” Geehr said. “Everything’s been checked out on my health and as

of now, I’m in the clear, knock on wood.”

In the clear is where Geehr, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week,

expects to be in every race she enters throughout this upcoming season,

but it’s been an uphill swim to this point.

Geehr competed in China and Australia for the U.S. National Team this

past winter and became ill.

The illness went away, but the fatigue remained. “I was just tired all

the time,’ Geehr said. “I had trouble finishing practice each day, so I

just took some time away from the pool and that helped a lot.”

In addition to her strong individual results at the Foothill Games,

Geehr was a key ingredient in the Sailors second-place 400 relay and

third-place 200 medley relay squads.

“The (rotator cuff) hasn’t even bothered me for a while now,” Geehr

said. “I’ve been using weights and presentative exercises to keep it

strong. So far, so good.”

In addition to all her world travels, Geehr, a swimmer on the Irvine

Novaquatics, competed at the U.S. Olympic swim trials in Indianapolis,

Ind. and fared very well. She was 15th in the 200-meter freestyle

(2:05.95), 26th in the 200 breaststroke (2:36.49) and 44th in the 100

breast (1:13.38).

“It was a good experience, but it would have been an even better

experience if I had made it to Sydney,” the always-competitive Geehr

said. “We’ll see where I am in four years when it happens again.”

With all the big-time competition, what is Geehr’s feelings toward

high school competition? “It’s fun,” she said. “The team atmosphere is

what I love the most. This is what makes me love to swim more than

anything. Competing with your friends. There’s no pressure or anything.”

That fun helped Geehr take the CIF Southern Section Division I title

in both the 200-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke. She should be in the

running for even more events as her times in the 200 IM and 500 free

continue to sparkle.

With her countless hours of time spent in the pool, does Geehr ever

fear of a burnout? “Every athlete comes to that point where they must

decide if it’s all worth it,” Geehr said. “For me, swimming opens up a

lot of doors for me like college down the road.”

In a perfect world, Geehr would like to swim for either Stanford or

Princeton after her career at Newport Harbor is completed.

When not in the water, Geehr has her plate full with her school group

“Students Against Drunk Driving.” She is also into paintings, computer

web graphics and was recently appointed the school’s ASB Secretary.

No wonder she’s so tired.