By Cooper Chadwick
As the sole swimmer for Bennington, sophomore Clayton Shamburg lets his hard work speak for itself.
Shamburg has a little more of an interesting story about his high school swimming career than most.
“Bennington didn’t have a competitive swim program until I started high school, and we couldn’t co-op with any surrounding schools, so we went through the steps to start our own team. My mom serves as my coach for high school swim and enters me in the meets and I practice with my club team under a KSHSAA exception. It’s been cool getting to build something completely new and represent my school on my own at meets,” Shamburg said.
Apart from being his school’s only member of the swim team, Shamburg is a multi-sport athlete, participating in football and track as well, but right now, he is focused on making history.
“When I started, I was the first competitive swimmer Bennington had ever had, so every meet felt like writing a new chapter. We were learning how to put a high school schedule together and what events to swim in each meet. I hadn’t swam in all of the high school pools so I had to learn which pools worked for me and which I didn’t like, all while taking on the best swimmers in the state,” Shamburg said.
Shamburg’s motivation is to make the podium at state.
”I’m motivated by the challenge of pushing myself in a sport where you are constantly trying to beat your last time. I also want to keep proving that even as a one-person program, I can compete with some of the best swimmers in the state. I’m proud to represent my small school on a big stage,” Shamburg said.
