As an 8-year-old, Tommy Barr looked destined to one day become a standout high school swimmer after he recorded an age-group state record.
Now a junior at Loyola, Barr is starting to make a name for himself on the prep swimming scene. At New Trier’s Trevian Relays on Saturday, Barr swam a career-best time of 22.96 seconds on the last leg of the 200-yard medley relay.
“(Barr) is developing into one of our fastest sprinters, really grabbing that 50 free by the neck, doing great work,” Loyola coach Mike Hengelmann said. “I love the way Tommy is training and racing right now.”
But Barr’s path from prodigy to high school up-and-comer has been somewhat unusual.
Barr’s swimming future must have seemed bright when, as an elementary schooler competing for Evanston’s McGaw YMCA Swim Team or MYST, he went 14.93 seconds in the 25-yard race at the state meet, earning a record he was told had stood for 13 years.
“I got to stand on the podium with my medal, which was one of my fondest memories,” said Barr, who lives in Chicago.
However, the memory wasn’t fond enough to prevent Barr from giving up competitive swimming entirely. Shortly after his triumph, he chose instead to play team sports like baseball and basketball.
“I wanted to leave when I was on top,” Barr joked.
Fast-forward to high school. After playing basketball during the winter of his freshman year, Barr said members of the Ramblers boys swimming team convinced him to join their ranks as a sophomore.
Not only did he have a history of swimming, Barr also possessed size, he’s now 6-foot-4, strength and a strong work ethic.
“He’s a tall boy, a big boy and looks like a basketball player,” Hengelmann said. “He does play baseball at Loyola too. He’s just an athletic kid. The way he’s progressed this season, it’ exceeded my expectations.”
But this success didn’t happen overnight. Barr spent his first year back swimming on the JV team, and said it took him time just to close the training gap between him and his teammates, many of whom had been involved in the sport consistently since their youth.
“It took a year (to get into shape),” Barr said. “The first year was tough. … I was exhausted.”
Hengelmann has praised Barr’s work ethic, which the coach said has made Barr a good role model for his teammates. However, Hengelmann said Barr has yet to perfect certain technical aspects of the sport, like kicking, and that he still struggles with endurance work.
“He just hasn’t been swimming for that long,” Hengelmann said. “This is going to be the first year he’s swimming year round, or kind of year round because he still plays baseball.”
Loyola senior Danny McGowan said he’s been impressed by Barr’s emergence and said Barr is in good hands with Hengelmann and assistant coach Greg Hartman.
“(Barr) has a ton of raw talent and the coaches know how to work with that,” said McGowan, who lives in Chicago. “He’s been improving a ton this season and last season. He’s really putting in a lot of work and it’s really paying off.”
Although Barr knows his eight-year hiatus from competitive swimming has set him back in certain ways, he said the time away may have contributed to him having more fun these days than some of his peers.
More Top Picks Best Sleep Headphones For Insomnia
“I feel like if you swim as a younger kid, it starts to feel like a chore as you grow up,” he said. “But if you start swimming when you’re a little older, it makes it more fun.”
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press