Fighting the waves of Lake Castaic, Lauren Baker tried to gain an edge over the other swimmers in the frenzy that is competitive open water swimming.
After a little more than an hour in the lake, Baker took third place in the 2012 USA Swimming California/Nevada Speedo Summer Sectional open water competition. She finished just a minute behind the champion.
But for the rising junior on the UCLA swim team, swimming outside the pool was a new challenge.
She was given the option of open water practices or regular morning workouts. After a year in which she was not pleased with her own performance, she decided to switch it up and take the open water.
Last month, Baker participated in three open water swim competitions, which generally take place in oceans or lakes.
In these highly physical races, every swimmer is literally fighting for the win, often throwing a few punches in the process.
During her first open water competition, Baker was surprised at the amount of physical contact between swimmers. But with 44 women swimming in the open water and no boundaries separating competitors, races are bound to get a little physical.
“You can do ocean swims and end up with scratches on your back or people will rip off your goggles,” Baker said.
“People will grab your legs, and hit you while you’re swimming and that’s something that I am working towards adjusting to.”
During the NCAA season, the distance of Baker’s events range from 200 meters to 1650 meters, but she is primarily a distance swimmer. Her coaches believe her energy cannot be fully harnessed while in a single lane.
“It takes a certain person to do (open water swimming) and Lauren’s it,” said coach Cyndi Gallagher.
Open water swimming is freestyle and gives the swimmer time to get into a rhythm while focusing on swimming faster and stronger. In the pool, one has to worry about changing direction every 15-30 seconds when the lap ends, but in open water, Baker can break free and fully capitalize on her intensity.
“I thought it would be good for Lauren because she is a really intense person and you can’t really be that intense in a pool,” Gallagher said. “She’s always been a great swimmer and she’s always been aggressive, so she’s not afraid to go out there and throw some punches to get ahead.”
But the change has not been completely smooth for Baker, who has been learning about the unique strategies involved in open water swimming.
“There’s water drafting, which is trying to keep up with people by drafting behind them, so I think that’s difficult to learn if you’re a newcomer. It’s also difficult to get used to people swimming on top of you,” Baker said.
Baker even reintroduced open water swimming to rising junior Hayley Hacker, who described her experience as a good break from the typical back-and-forth pool routine.
Hacker first tried open water swimming while training to be a lifeguard in high school, but had not thought about it since.
“I wouldn’t have done it without her,” Hacker said. “Especially in a world that’s kind of unfamiliar to us as regular swimmers, it’s nice to have another person to figure it out (with) because it’s all pretty new to us.”
Gallagher hopes to see even more of her team getting involved in open water swim competitions.
“If there are more teammates interested in open water swimming, I think Lauren will be one of those kids who will set the example,” Gallagher said.