By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
Name: Payton Schilz
Nicknames: P, Pay-Pay
School: Bay Port
Sports: Boys’ swimming, soccer
Parents: Jim and Roshel Schilz
Twitter: @schilz_payton
Payton Schilz is a senior on the Bay Port boys’ swimming team.
He also played soccer in the fall for the Pirates.
Schilz recently qualified in three events for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 1 state swimming meet coming up this weekend at Waukesha South High School.
If given the chance, he said he’d love to be comedian Pete Davidson for a day, and his favorite phone app is ESPN.
Do you wear a certain outfit for meets?
“The meet outfit consists of sweats, sweatshirt and the team warmup.”
What’s the greatest piece of advice somebody has told you?
“Take it all in. Before you know it, you’re going to want it all back.”
Talk about your breathing pattern in the pool.
“I try to breathe equally on each side. You see more of the pool and racers. It helps because practice makes perfect.”
What are two things you’d like to see changed in today’s world?
“No more school shootings and give every kid an opportunity to excel in their talent.”
What’s good advice to parents who want to get their son involved in swimming?
“Start them sooner rather than later. Out of all the sports I’ve done, swimming is by far the hardest and most physically demanding. It’s easier to learn the sport at a young age.”
Would you rather swim in 25- or 50-yard pools?
“25-yard pools.”
Talk about the individual medley (IM), freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke and how different each is.
“The IM is in a category of its own. Those who excel at the IM are the best overall swimmers because they can compete in all four strokes. The freestyle is the fastest and all about speed and power. The breaststroke is my worst when I swim it. It’s crucial to focus because it’s a technique-first and power-later swim. In the butterfly, I picture it as a dolphin diving in and out of the water – it’s one fluid motion. Many believe butterflying takes lots of strength, but if you put a little effort into your technique, it’s quite easy and can make you swim faster. The backstroke is about using the walls and your underwater kick to your advantage.”
What are your college aspirations?
“I plan to play soccer at St. Norbert College.”
Ireland or England for a soccer vacation?
“England.”
How many races could you compete in a meet if given the chance?
“You have four total entries coming into meet day. You can only choose two individual events – the rest can be relays.”
Besides swimming, what are your favorite things to do in each season?
“I enjoy playing soccer in the spring and go boating in the summer. I like the trick-or-treaters on Halloween in fall and love to snowboard in winter.”
How do certain pools favor high school athletes?
“If there is a warm-down pool, it benefits athletes because you can get a cool down in while other athletes are using the normal pool.”
What one word describes you?
“Outgoing.”
What are your favorite music genres?
“Hip-hop, pop.”
Would you rather sit outside in a hammock or surf the tide?
“Surf the tide.”
What makes the community of Howard-Suamico special?
“They make every student feel welcomed.”
How much does the kick off the wall help in winning races?
“The dolphin kick off the wall is like a fifth stroke. A good kick off the wall is everything in tight races.”
Chex Mix or Gardetto’s?
“Gardetto’s.”
Talk about a volunteer moment.
“When I volunteered at the New Zoo (Zoo Boo). It was fun hiding amongst the trails and scaring the patrons on the haunted hayride.”
Favorites
Professional teams: Seattle Sounders (FC Soccer team), Green Bay Packers
Subjects: Human biology, science
Movie: “She’s Out of My League”
Sports Editor’s note: To read last week’s Nicolet National Bank Senior Spotlight on De Pere’s Shane Corrigan, CLICK HERE.