WATERVILLE — On seeing Maine for the first time, Mody Gad had the same reaction as many visitors from “Away.”
“Lots of trees,” Gad said. “Lots of trees everywhere.”
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Luckily for Gad, Maine has lots of swimming pools, too.
Now, the exchange student from Egypt has a chance to leave Waterville Senior High School with a couple of state championships. Gad is ranked first in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle for Monday’s Class B state championship meet in Orono, at the University of Maine. Add in senior Nico Schultz, who is ranked first in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke, and the Purple Panthers have the potential for their best day at the state meet in years.
“The thing about Mody is, he hasn’t been challenged. The only person fast enough is Nico, and I’d never put them in the same event. He rises to the challenge,” Waterville swimming coach Bob Johnston said.
Gad, 15, is not allowed to comment on the current political climate in Egypt.
When he signed on to be an exchange student, Gad didn’t know where he’d study this year. He learned he’d go to Maine a week before he left for the United States last summer.
“I was busy preparing for a year away from my own country. I didn’t really have any information about Maine,” Gad said. “I’d never heard of Maine before.”
Now, months into his year in Maine, the kid from Egypt who had never touched snow revels in it. The kid from a place where air conditioning is really a must, shivered.
“I love it. It’s a big change,” Gad said. “I never felt that cold before. Ever. In my life… People usually in Egypt use air conditioners. I’m used to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) or something.”
An avid swimmer, Gad hoped to find a team on which to compete no matter where he ended up in the United States. His hosts, the deMaynadier family (Gad’s host sister, Treva, is a sophomore on the Waterville swim team), helped Gad find a place with the Dolphins club team, and he was eager to join the Waterville team, too.
“He came, and he wasn’t in very good shape. It was obvious he hadn’t been swimming in a while, but he had speed. He didn’t have much conditioning,” Johnston said.
That speed. Gad set Waterville school records in the freestyle events this season, and last week, won the 100 and 200 free at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference meet in Bath.
“He’s got a nice form. He’s certainly long and lean like you want to see from swimmers. He’s got the right build for it,” Johnston said. “He’s got good mechanics, unbelievable mechanics. He’s got a kick that never quits. It’s like a motor boat, his kick.”
Gad is ranked first in the 200 free with a time of 1 minute, 49.96 seconds, nearly three seconds ahead of Shaun Lamoreux of Falmouth. In the 100 free, Gad’s seed time is 50.10 seconds, just ahead of Greely’s Dan Spencer (50.13).
Swimmers are allowed to compete in just two individual events at the state meet, or Gad would be considered a favorite in the 500 free, too. On Dec. 21, Gad swam the 500 against Messalonskee’s Arthur Conover, who is the top seed in the event in Class A.
In the longest high school race, Gad and Conover finished in a virtual dead heat, at 4:57.19.
“They knew it was going to be the race of the year, and they rose to the challenge,” Johnston said. “You’ll see in the 50 free, where it’s quick, guys touching (the wall) at almost the same time. In a 500, where it’s 20 lengths of the pool, it’s not very often. This was a hundredth of a second.”
For his part, Gad has big goals for the state meet, and those include shaving some time off his 100.
“I’m planning on going to 48 (seconds). Actually, my record is 49, so I’m planning to break that. I’m hoping to get first place in the 100 free,” Gad said. “In the 200 free, 1:49. I hope to go 1:48. I think that will get me first place.”
If Gad swims up to his expectations and potential, he can add some first place ribbons to the souvenirs he brings home from Maine.
“He really gets really pumped up for the big races,” Johnston said, “and that will show up on Monday.”
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
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