Chunky resident Marina Olmstead is pictured on the podium at the 2018 American Junior National Classic March 20-24 in Clearwater, Florida.

After competing in the Speedo Championships in December, Chunky resident Marina Olmstead was looking for her next challenge as a swimmer.

Olmstead competed in the Mississippi Swim Association’s state championship in February, winning four gold medals, one silver medal and three bronze medals, and she also set a state record in the backstroke. Her biggest challenge, though, was several weeks later at the American Junior National Classic in Clearwater, Florida.

At the meet, which took place March 20-24, Olmstead competed in the women’s 16-and-under division and climbed in rank in every event in which she competed, finishing in fourth place (57.52 seconds) in the 100-meter backstroke, seventh place (52.67 seconds) in the 100-meter freestyle, sixth place (25.96 seconds) in the 50-meter butterfly and third place (24 seconds) in the 50-meter freestyle. Her biggest climb in the rankings came in the 100-meter freestyle, where she entered the competition ranked 14th and finished seventh.

After doing so well at state, Olmstead said she had to quickly focus on the junior national meet, but given the prestige of the event, it was something toward which she looked forward.

“I felt pretty good,” Olmstead recalled about going into the meet. “Most of the equipment was new, and it was a good pool.”

All of those things make a difference, Olmstead said, in terms of the mindset of a swimmer during their swim.

“The biggest thing is I don’t have to worry about distances on turns,” Olmstead explained. “In a bad pool, you have to do more thinking, and it can mess you up. You’re not focused on winning, just getting the turn right just so you might have the possibility of winning.”

While Olmstead said she didn’t feel weaker going into the junior national meet after state, she didn’t have enough time to train to get stronger. Preparing for the meet mentally was also a challenge.

“Mostly you’re just trying not to panic, because it’s a big meet with fast kids,” she said. “If I can stay calm and focused, that’s a big win.”

Climbing in rank on each of her swims left Olmstead with a positive feeling after the meet, and now she’s focused on bettering her times for the next big meet, which is the Winter Junior Nationals in December.

“It cushioned the blow that I didn’t cut time,” Olmstead said. “If I had cut time but went down in ranks, I would have been just as happy. One thing I like was that they stopped the races to do the podiums, so everyone gets to see who made the top 10. That also allowed more rest between races.”

While she’s already anticipating a summer camp at the University of Alabama and the December junior national meet, Olmstead she still looks back at the state record backstroke time with fond memories. The previous record was 57.13 seconds, so when Olmstead beat it by more than a second at 56.11, at first, that reality didn’t sink in.

“We looked it up that morning and I was probably three-tenths off, so the whole time I’m telling myself it’s a record (while I’m swimming),” Olmstead recalled. “At first, I thought the time was 57.11, so when I found out it was a 6 (56.11), I was shocked, and I had to ask myself if I had still broken the record.”

Olmstead will start back training this week and will focus on her strokes in the immediate future. Her father, Bryan Olmstead, who coaches her, said a new skill level like junior nationals will force his daughter to grow even more as a swimmer.

“Each level requires more intensity,” Bryan Olmstead said. “You can’t take a young kid and make them into an Olympian, because they don’t have the capacity (at that time). It’s all about evolving her as an athlete and honing her to where she’s willing to do what it takes to win.”

Marina Olmstead is also the daughter of Anthia Olmstead.