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02/05/2020 11:00 PMTanner Powell has been involved in sports since he was a youngster. Tanner started with tennis and swimming at the High Lane Country Club as a six year-old and then joined North Haven’s Youth Soccer program shortly thereafter. Tanner continued playing all three sports as he grew up and is now a member of the varsity team in each of them as a junior at North Haven High School.
Tanner is currently in the midst of the swimming season, and things are looking a little different this year. Prior to the campaign, North Haven joined forces with athletes from Guilford, North Branford, and East Haven to form the Greater New Haven Warriors’ boys’ swimming and diving team. Tanner has gone out of his way to unify the athletes on the co-op squad as one of the Warriors’ captains.
“At the beginning, we kind of stayed separate, but as we had pasta parties and bonded, we became more of a team and got to know each other. So, it was a nice transition,” says Tanner. “I felt more of a responsibility as a captain, especially since it’s at our pool. It was a different challenge, but I liked getting to know the new people and their personalities and how to respond to their questions.”
Tanner is also leading by example through his work ethic in the pool. He’s posted his personal-best time in the 50 freestyle this season and is also a key member of the Warriors’ 200 medley relay team. Tanner swims the butterfly leg of the relay for Head Coach Martha Phelan’s club.
“Tanner’s contributions were huge in our two wins against [SCC] Division I teams Daniel Hand and Amity,” Phelan says. “As a leader, Tanner has been instrumental to bring this four-town co-op together to become a cohesive unit and, as a consequence, he’s created great team chemistry. Tanner is a great team player and understands his role to make this an outstanding season for all.”
Tanner felt especially excited to help his team earn victories versus a couple of SCC Division I stalwarts. Tanner says the Warriors have a goal of capturing the SCC Division II title, and he also hopes to make a splash during the team’s postseason meets.
Tanner was part of a relay team that qualified for both SCCs and states during his freshman and sophomore seasons. Tanner wants the relay to make it back to those meets this year, in addition to qualifying in the 50 freestyle individually.
“I like the competitiveness of it, and the personal achievement is a big part of it, trying to get better and better,” says Tanner. “When you see your time get better, it’s so gratifying. It shows the work you’re putting in is for a good reason.”
Tanner has also worked hard as a soccer and tennis player at North Haven. Unfortunately, Tanner’s junior year on the soccer pitch didn’t go as planned as he missed the second half of the season due to an illness.
Prior to getting sick, Tanner was playing the central defender position for the Indians. He saw some varsity time as a freshman and then got more minutes while playing forward and outside defender in his sophomore campaign. Tanner is already thinking about his senior season with goals of becoming a captain and helping North Haven make states.
“Most of us having been playing together since U-10,” Tanner says. “Our assistant coach, John Parisella, brought us up through each year since then, so it’s amazing to end with the same coach I started with, and I know it will be emotional on Senior Night.”
Tanner also has two more seasons to look forward to on the tennis court. In his freshman year, Tanner earned a varsity spot as North Haven’s No. 1 doubles player alongside Quinn Dallai. The duo played together during Tanner’s first two years with the team.
“We had some amazing matches,” says Tanner. “And we were able to beat the No. 1 doubles team from Amity, which was the only win our team had against them that match.”
With Dallai having graduated, Tanner is unsure about where he will play during the upcoming season, but would like to continue competing on the doubles circuit if possible. Tanner feels grateful to Chris Pappas, his longtime coach at High Lane Country Club, where he was also influenced by swimming coach Todd Rainey.
Outside of sports, Tanner is member of the Spanish Club and a high honors student at North Haven High School who has been named a Scholar-Athlete for every season. In the summer, Tanner works as a lifeguard at High Lane and also officiates youth soccer, an experience that he says “helps give me a different perspective on the game.”
In addition to thanking his coaches for their guidance, Tanner also appreciates all the support that his parents, Chris and Suzanne, as well as his brother Riley, have given him throughout his career.
“My parents have always been there to support me and help me through each sport, and they were my first teachers for all of the sports I play,” Tanner says. “My brother grew up playing the same sports, and I tried to go against him, which helped me improve.”