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02/01/2017 11:00 PMWill McCleery has always enjoyed spending time in the water, but it wasn’t until he was in the 5th grade that Will began swimming competitively. Will got started by joining the Hamden Hall Aquatic Club (HHAC), where he worked with Indians’ Head Coach Martha Phelan and former coach Ken Pierson. Through the years, Will not only gained experience with the HHAC, but he also joined the Hamden/North Haven Swimming YMCA team, as well.
“I’ve always liked being in the water and I’ve always been pretty good at swimming,” says Will. “I found competitive swimming challenging with very long workouts that were hard to keep up at some points.”
Even though it was difficult, Will stuck with swimming and knew he wanted to join the team at North Haven High School. Now a sophomore, Will is continually seeing improvements with both his technique and his times. Thus far this season, Will has notched personal-best marks in the 100-yard freestyle (54.10), the 500 freestyle (5:18.86), and the 100 backstroke (1:03.16). The recent times that Will achieved are marked improvements as he has shaved more than five seconds off of his previous personal bests.
“I’ve really improved in my backstroke and long-distance freestyles,” Will says. “It’s a big improvement and all of my coaches have definitely helped me a lot and been really great, putting me through drills that have been good.”
While Will is happy with his times, he’s even happier that those times are contributing to the greater good of his team. Will notes that many of his teammates have also swam personal-best times this year. Will not only enjoys competing alongside his colleagues in the pool, but also likes spending time with them at team events like pasta dinners.
“The team has been really great. Wherever I’ve been has been a team feeling, but the high school team has a really great team feeling,” says Will. “Our goals are to improve as a team and get some more members. We have 13 swimmers. Anyone interested should be encouraged to join because it’s a great team. I knew a few of the guys, but it’s been great to get to know these people better.”
One of the people who Will has gotten to know well during his swimming career is Coach Phelan. Phelan still coaches Will in the HHAC each spring and, of course, works with him on the high school squad during the winter.
“Even as a novice swimmer, Will possessed all the ingredients necessary to become a contender in competition. He has the perfect body type and is blessed with natural ability,” says Phelan. “What has changed this year is that Will has discovered his passion to excel, coupled with the joy of camaraderie with his teammates. After every race, Will wants feedback about his performance. He is committed to improving. He has been remarkable in his ability to take my advice and make it happen in the pool.”
Will feels grateful to Phelan for her advice and support and he credits both her and Pierson for helping him make the jump from casual to competitive swimming. When the high school season ends, Will continues to train with HHAC through the spring. In the summer, Will swims at the High Lane Club with coach Todd Rainey. Will says that Rainey has helped him with his flip turns, his starts, and his overall technique.
“Having a variety of coaches is important and that’s really helped me,” says Will, who also thanks his family for their support. “Each of them has valuable advice and I try to take that into consideration when I’m swimming and training. I’ve had really great coaches and teammates over the years.”
Now in the midst of his sophomore year, Will has his sights set on the postseason with a goal of qualifying for the Class M State Championship in his events. One of those is the 500 freestyle—an event that was intimidating to Will at first, yet is now one of his trademark races.
“I first swam in the 500 freestyle and was very overwhelmed at the time, but it’s one of my favorite events now,” says Will. “It’s all about pace. You have to have a plan for how you’re going to pace yourself.”
Looking at the rest of his high school career, Will has a goal of continuing to improve his technique in the 200 individual medley, the 100 breaststroke, and 100 butterfly. He’s also hoping to swim at the collegiate level one day. Will has enjoyed seeing the benefits of his hard work in the pool and says that one of his proudest moments came when he broke the one-minute mark in the 100 freestyle two years ago.
“I was very excited to get past that milestone,” says Will. “I like how you can see how your hard work pays off through your times.”