THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 25, 1996 TAG: 9601250050
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
SOURCE: BY REA FARMER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
For Mark Giusto, life is a warm-up.
The 15-year-old Kempsville swimmer centers his life around his sport, demonstrating the dedication level of a world-class athlete. If you want to find Giusto, go to the pool. At 5 a.m. each weekday, he practices with his teammates for an hour and a half. After school, he returns to the pool for two hours of swimming and an hour of weight training and conditioning.
Saturday mornings, he's swimming again. He also competes in Old Dominion Aquatic Club meets.
Does all that tire Giusto? Not in the least. ``I'm working for that scholarship, trying to get up there,'' he said. ``I'm working toward some goals and having fun doing it.''
Lately Giusto's hard work has reaped significant rewards. In the past 10 days, he won two individual and one relay event to pace Kempsville to a crucial district win over Cox. Friday, he won the 200-meter individual medley, 100-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle relay and 200-meter medley relay events to virtually assure the Chiefs of the inaugural district team title. His efforts earned him the Virginian-Pilot male athlete of the week award.
``I like the competition, the training, how you have to be real dedicated,'' Giusto said. ``You'll swim for a year and keep doing the same time, but eventually that one big drop will come from working so hard.''
His Kempsville season has been enhanced by the presence of ODAC teammate John McLaren. After eight years of competing together, the two have become an indomitable force on relay teams. When they race head-to-head, the water churns.
Recently, Swimming World released the 1995 top finishers for 13-14 year old competitors. Giusto, McLaren, Matt Morrisette (Cox) and Mike Robbins (Western Branch) combined to set the top national 100-meter freestyle relay time of 1:31.14, not far shy of the national record of 1:30.39.
In his race to the future, Giusto nostalgically longs for a little of the past.
``We just want to get back in there and do it,'' Giusto said of the national record. ``But we can't because we're all 15 now.'' ILLUSTRATION: Mark Giusto
by CNB