No nerves. No shakes. No pressure. No expectations. Just this: a buzzer blaring and a shot off the block, a confused 100-yard dash and a finish that would send KIF swimming back in time 15 years. Waimea’s Jack Flores saw
No nerves. No shakes. No pressure. No expectations. Just this: a buzzer blaring and a shot off the block, a confused 100-yard dash and a finish that would send KIF swimming back in time 15 years.
Waimea’s Jack Flores saw himself swimming the 100-yard breaststroke a thousand times the night before. Like a record set on repeat, he visualized it in his head, over and over again.
And so, when Flores stepped on the block at the HHSAA Swim Championships, the only Kaua’i swimmer to make the final eight since Cory Caroll did it in 1987, the jitters faded away.
“I knew what I had to do,” said Flores. “And when the race was about to start, and everything became quiet, it was like BOOM! I was off.”
One minute and three seconds later, Flores placed fifth in the state. As he lifted his head from the water, all he could see was his coach, Jo-Jo Tanaka, pointing at the clock in disbelief.
“Look at the time! You did it!,” cried Tanaka, ecstatic by her protoge’s rousing finish.
Behind him, Flores could hear the cheers from his KIF peers. Choking on a rhythmic pant, he couldn’t voice his excitement but knew that what he had done was unprecedented.
“It was just…..wow,” said Flores, who couldn’t find the proper words to describe how he felt. “From the look on my coach’s face, I knew it went well. It was such a great feeling.”
Flores was different from the seven other swimmers who competed in the finals, that day. His ability was unusual – he was most likely the only swimmer who never swam on age-group club teams during the KIF off-season.
Like Olympic great Matt Biondi, Flores began competitive swimming his freshman year in high school.
He’s a natural.
Golf phenom Tiger Woods shot a 1-under for the season his freshman year; a 1-under for his sophomore and junior years; and a 33-under in his senior year.
Jack Flores’ progression in swimming wasn’t much different.
He swam a 1:16 one-hundred breast his sophomore year; a 1:12 his junior year; a 1:07 his senior; and ended his high school career with a 1:03. He shaved 13 seconds off his time in four high school seasons.
13 seconds in four years. To most swimmers, that much time takes a lifetime.
“Watching him grow through the years, I’ve learned that Jack is a perfectionist,” said Tanaka. “He always asks questions. Specific questions. He is always trying to perfect his stroke, his strong aspects as well as his weak aspects.”
“I always try to better myself,” said Flores. “Sometimes I feel I need to be in the pool working on my stroke. When I blew out my knee a while ago, I had to take a few days off…it drove me crazy.”
When Flores is not in season, he remains active. A paddler, Flores takes to the water during the summers to keep himself in shape.
“Sports like paddling are great for swimmers,” said Tanaka. “They get a nice break from the monotony of swimming and still get the proper conditioning.”
What’s next for Jack?
“The Olympics, of course,” said Flores. “I plan to swim for the University of Hawaii and make my way to the Games.”
Sound impossible?
Not for Jack Flores. If he thought it did, he would never have made it this far.
