Bergstrom leads Ewing High swimmers by example

EHS swim team head coach calls Micah Bergstrom the best male swimmer she has seen in her years leading the team. It’s not uncommon for club swimmers to skip high school team practices or even to forgo trying out for the squad altogether. Ewing High School senior Micah Bergstrom, though, is not like most club swimmers. “He has always been willing to do whatever since his freshman year,” head coach Stefanie Harrison said. “It was pretty surprising. He’s really, really humble, and his teammates love him,” she said. “That isn’t always the case when you’re someone who is as good as he is and we’re not that strong all the time. He’s been a pleasure.” Harrison said Bergstrom is the best male swimmer she has seen pass through the program in her nine years as coach and maybe the best in school history. He holds school records in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle, in addition to being a part of the 200 individual medley relay, 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay teams. His main stroke is the butterfly and he tends to avoid the backstroke, but Harrison said he’ll swim any race they need him to. “He’s been a huge asset,” she said. “He’ll swim wherever you need him, even in events that both know he won’t win. He knows that it’s the best place for him to be for the team. He’s a leader regardless of if he’s in his best events. It’s hard to not swim best events, events he could have won, but it’s the best place for you to be for the team. He’s always willing to do whatever.” He wasn’t always so skilled, though. Bergstrom said while he enjoyed being in the water, it took a lot of practice before he started to improve. When he first started, swimming was just something he was better at than other team sports. “When I was really young in the early elementary school years, I tried to do sports, but they weren’t for me,” he said. “My mom suggested swimming at the Ravine Club to stay in shape over the summer so I wouldn’t be at home watching TV. I wasn’t good off the bat, but I liked racing, the different strokes and not having set plays. There are no strategies. You just go there and back and try to be faster than other person. I found something I liked to do.” He continued to increase his speed and decrease his times with each year. Eventually, he got good enough to join Eastern Express, a swim club based in Princeton. “I wanted to compete at the highest level,” he said. “Eastern Express is sort of like playing on a travel soccer team. You get the best, highest caliber training.” Bergstrom had just moved up to the most advanced group at Eastern Express when he joined Ewing’s team as a freshman. Both teams scheduled practices each morning before school. Many club swimmers skip high school practices in favor of club and just swim in meets. Bergstrom said it starts to wear the body down after awhile, something he feared, but he wanted to be as much of a part of the Blue Devils’ squad as possible. He talked it over with his coaches, and they developed a solution: Bergstrom would become a third coach in order to avoid exhaustion. “I came in one day feeling tired, so I asked to help with the new swimmers,” he said. “I liked it, so we made it a habit. We found a way to still go to practices and be with the team without wearing myself down.” Harrison said it’s been nothing but a success. She’s even had swimmers approach her at meets looking for Bergstrom, asking for help or opinions. “We are so thankful that he is the way he is because the kids naturally look up to him,” she said. “It’s really easy for a club swimmer on a high school team to be selfish. He’s never been that way. As coaches, you get worried. You never know how kids will react to being coached by other kids. They loved it. He’s made huge impacts in what he’s done with working with the other kids. He’s really respected. You don’t see that often.” It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of his career. “It’s really helped me grow, listen, understand,” he said. “I look at my own strokes differently and think more about the fundamentals. It’s a great feeling to see someone who has been working on flip turns for three days and then when the meet comes around, they do it right and drop four seconds off their times.” Bergstrom is planning on attending either the Merchant Marine Academy, Montclair State University or Gustavus Adolphus College. He has spoken to all three coaches and will be swimming at whatever school he attends. Wherever he goes, Harrison knows he will find his place. “He’s not only a good swimmer, but he’s a great teammate,” she said. “It’s been a pleasure. We’re certainly going to miss him.”