10-year-old Highland Parker makes a splash at state, regional summer swim meets

For most 10-year-olds, summer means long days away from school and with plenty of time to play. 

For Ray Ryser, of Highland Park, it also meant standing atop championship podiums.

Competing for Highland Park Aquatics Club and Team Illinois, Ryser won state and Midwest titles this summer in a breakthrough season that signals a bright future in the pool.

On July 25 and 26, Ryser won the Illinois age group state championship at Libertyville High School. And on Aug. 6-9, Ryser won the Midwest zone championship at the University of Minnesota’s Jean Freeman Aquatic Center. 

Ryser is a fifth-grader at Ravinia Elementary School, and HPAC is a local year-round youth swim program that, with Team Illinois, brought together more than 850 top Midwest youth to represent their respective state teams for the Midwest zone championship. 

At the state championship, Ryser finished in first place in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles, second in the 50 backstroke and 100 backstrokes, fifth in the 200 freestyle and seventh in the 200 butterfly. 

Ryser also took home Midwest zone championship decorations, placing first in the 50 freestyle, second as part of the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays, fourth in the 50 backstroke, eighth in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke, 15th in the 200 freestyle, and 18th in the 50 butterfly.

“I was really happy when I found out I won because I’ve been working for this for a long time,” Ryser said.

Behind the Swims

Ryser’s parents, Bob and Molly Ryser, can attest to their son’s “dedication” and “discipline” to reach his goals that has gotten him to be successful in competition, while also seeing him “having fun along the way.” 

“It was kind of amazing to see him stay calm under pressure,” Molly Ryser said. “To get up on the blocks and see him do what he knows how to do on a big stage was impressive.” 

Ryser practices swimming three to four times a week to keep his level. And he also plays a number of other sports to keep him physically fit. 

He credits his “hard work of showing up to practice,” making “adjustments” in competition and talking to his friends before competition, or “hyping each other up,” as contributors to his success. 

He said he felt nervous in some races but thinking “whatever happens, happens,” helped him get through it. 

Ryser most enjoyed his championship 100 freestyle race at state as well as the 50 backstroke and 50 freestyle races in the Midwest zone, calling them “a lot of fun.”

Swimming in the pool as a kid, Ryser quickly recognized that he was good at it. That realization led him to start competing in the sport. He joined a swim team at 8 years old, with the support of his sister and new friends he’d made.

“I’ve always been a competitive kid,” Ryser said. “It feels good to race against other people then see what the results are.” 

His next goal is winning more state and Midwest zone medals and making it to the junior nationals. Although he feels it will be difficult, he believes in himself. 

Coach Speak 

To Matt Nolan, head developmental coach at HPAC, Ryser “really grew up.” 

Nolan has coached Ryser for three seasons and noted his evolution from an 8-year-old with “a lot of talent” to a 10-year-old state and zone champ.

Ryser’s potential to be a successful swimmer was evident in last year’s state meet, Nolan said. Nolan recalled Ryser finishing second and third in a few events. 

“That’s when I saw that he was really motivated to hit that next level and really get to the top of that mountain,” Nolan said. “You could tell in his demeanor on the pool deck that he really wanted to succeed. You could tell he was going to really kill it at the end of the summer.”

Over the past year, Nolan watched Ryser focus on the details, which is what got him to that next level.

When Ryser loses, he reportedly asks himself what went wrong, helping him understand how to improve and turn around and come back. 

Ryser has a lot of good mechanics that are rare for 9- and 10-year-olds, said Nolan. He has strong flip turns and good underwaters, and physically he’s “built like a truck,” Nolan said. 

In competition, Nolan noticed Ryser’s strong desire to beat his opponent and the confidence to do so — so on race day he just executes, Nolan said.

The coaching staff at HPAC expected Ryser to do well in the freestyle events but his performances in the backstroke and distance event made the meets even more special to Nolan. 

Nolan was equally impressed with Ryser’s Midwest zone performance of swimming “lights out” in that 50 freestyle and relays. 

Ryser’s strongest race is his sprint freestyle, per Nolan, who added that his start and distance per stroke are his strongest qualities. 

What’s contributed to the success of the overall team, “The Mighty Giants,” the team Nolan coaches for top 10-year-old and under swimmers, is that each swimmer had someone to look up to who was going faster than them, which is “very helpful,” for the swimmers, Nolan said. 

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