Taylor swims well

    Donovan Taylor headed to Montreal last week to compete in the 2007 age group nationals and posted times placing him out of the top 10 but well in the middle of the elite competition.
    “It was kind of nerve-racking because you wanted to see how you did with all those kids and what you were up against,” Taylor admitted yesterday.
    “Kids from out in Vancouver, B.C. and kids from out in P.E.I., and I thought it was kind of cool how we could come together for this one meet and do so well, and how we could compete with each other. . . .
    “You really don’t have that kind of chance in Thunder Bay or Kenora,” he added.
    Taylor, a member of the Fort Frances Aquanauts who turned 13 just a month ago, competed in the 13-and-under bracket in all events.
    Taylor’s first swim was his best in terms of a finish—13th in the 50m backstroke with a time of 33.61, which was less than a second out of a top 10 showing.
    “I was so happy about that,” he said. “It was kind of an uplifter to know I could be in the top 15, the top 20 in my races.
    “It was kind of like that prize you see at the bottom of the Cracker Jack box that makes you so happy.”
    He followed that with a 200m IM swim later in the day, in which he placed 53rd out of a large field.
    He then placed 17th in the 100m backstroke on Friday, 33rd in the 200m backstroke on Saturday, and 32nd in 400m IM on Sunday.
    He said the last event was the one he was the most proud of since his time of 5:26.98 was a marked improvement over his previous personal best.
    He also set personal bests in the 50m and 100m backstroke.
    Taylor was quick to note, however, that he was hoping for a better result in the 200m backstroke.
    “I can’t expect too much, but at the same time there’s a limit between what I can do and what I should do,” he noted.
    On top of last week’s event being Taylor’s first national meet, it also was his first trip to Montreal. “The whole experience of Montreal was just phenomenal,” he said.
    He admitted he already was looking forward to next year’s nationals.
    “I’m actually hoping next year I can get my allowance up really high and have fun out there,” he remarked.