Swimmer pushes the tide

Swimmer Brayden Henkel, a state champion and record-setter, competes in a race. Photos submitted

By Tom Victoria

Brayden Henkel is an athlete making waves.

The incoming college freshman will be building on a record-setting high school career at the University of Wisconsin.

“I’m a breaststroker,” Brayden, 17, said. “I am also a sprinter all around. The 100 breaststroke is my best event.”

Among his achievements at Albany Academy in New York are being All-American four times, setting three section records and being state champion twice.

A focused Brayden, middle, prepares to dive into the water.

He’s played many sports, but swimming became the passion.

“You really get what you put into it,” Brayden said. “It’s really a rewarding sport. It’s taught me a lot of things just in life. Like how to grind, how to keep my head down and just work. And then self-discipline for sure.”

He savors what people often complain about swimming: its difficulty. For Brayden, the full-body cardio workout utilizing all of the muscles is a welcome challenge.

“It’s brutal for the body,” he said. “That’s what separates it from other sports — it being so hard.”  

Brayden swims up to 22 hours a week during swimming season and 14 during the off-season.

The swimmer doesn’t become distracted by his competitors during a race.

“I’m so beyond focused,” he said. “I don’t notice it at all.”

Brayden, middle, leaps into his lane.

Being a competitive swimmer doesn’t stop Brayden from enjoying recreational dips and dives into the water.

“I still swim for fun a lot and that doesn’t really affect me,” he said.

Brayden stays motivated by focusing on results.

“I just think about the end goal,” he said. “That’s what really drives me. I know what I put in, I get out.”

Brayden said swimmers are susceptible to shoulder injuries as rotator cuffs suffer from overuse.

“I just make sure I recover well,” he said. “My shoulders are naturally built from swimming. I’ve never done anything with them in the gym. That’s one of the biggest parts of my body.”

The New York native started swimming competitively 12 years ago.

“I’ve always enjoyed it,” Brayden said. “I was always pretty good at it, too. That helped a lot for sure.”

He was inspired by older brother Bryce, who now swims at Boston College. The younger brother first joined his sibling at the local country club swim team. Brayden currently swims for a local club team along with his school team.

“I swim year-round,” he said.

Brayden pushes forward in his lane.

Although the 6-foot, 5-inch athlete stopped competing in most other sports, he did try soccer in his senior year.

“I was pretty rough at it at first, but then I came to be pretty good,” Brayden said. “I was a defender.”

He was named a section all-star. Brayden credited his size being a boon in his role on the field.

Despite his height, he’s been able to gain size over the years.

“I’m not the biggest dude,” Brayden said. “I weigh 195 pounds, but I’ve got a good amount of muscle. It hasn’t been too hard to gain weight.”

He’s attending college to become a veterinarian.

“I have always loved animals,” Brayden said.

He plays video games and participates in pickup soccer and basketball games for fun.

“Simple stuff,” Brayden said.

Brayden’s athleticism and size led to his domination in soccer.

He hopes ot inspire his social media followers.

“To be motivated to work hard and try to accomplish big things,” Brayden said.

He advised those considering swimming competitively to pursue it for a satisfying experience.

“It’s taught me so much,” Brayden said. “I’ll forever be thankful for that. You’ll get in very good shape. You’ll meet a lot of cool people, a lot of good friends. And like me, you never know where it will take you.”

He stressed a good work ethic is needed to swim.

“You have to be mentally tough,” Brayden said. “There are so many days when I wake up, especially in the morning before school, knowing it’s going to be a rough day and my body didn’t get enough sleep that night. And you still go to practice.”

He said the fitness will come from continuous practice, but success won’t result from strictly wanting to have fun.

“You just really got to want it.”  

Brayden’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brayhenk1/