FRIENDLY RIVALS COBIN, MURDOCK SEEK TO MAKE IMPACT AT FINAL STATE SWIM MEET

Jevonn Cobin and Micah Murdock both swim for rival high schools, Cobin for Northside and Murdock for Southside. They also compete against one another during practice as members of the Fort Smith Tideriders club team. ?(I like) their attitude; they’re both very positive teammates and they make sure to cheer for each other and they lead by example,” Tideriders coach Tom Bullock, who also coaches their high school teams, said. “When they are at practice, they work hard and they influence others to work hard as well.” However, away from the pool, Murdock and Cobin are very good friends and like to do stuff together, like go to the movies or go out to eat. It’s a friendship that hasn’t lasted very long, though, as Cobin — a home-schooled student who swims for Northside — moved to Fort Smith from Texas two years ago. But one of the very first people he encountered once he arrived in Fort Smith was Murdock. “It all started at summer swim practice,” Cobin said. “I was just new to the team, just trying to figure out where I stood amongst the team. ... I didn’t have too many friends back in Texas, I wasn’t expecting to make a whole bunch of friendships here and I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly the team was and how they treated me and how I was welcomed, and one of the people that greeted me the most was Micah. “Ever since the beginning, we’ve been the best of friends. Even in the first summer, when we first met, we would always try to race each other.” That included the breaststroke, which is Cobin’s specialty event. Murdock was more than determined to beat his new friend in that event, and in turn, it helped make Murdock an improved swimmer. “Competing against him, it makes him kind of mad sometimes in that I’ll beat him in the 200 (meter) breast and the breaststroke has always been his event, so it’s been definitely interesting and definitely beneficial for the both of us because we push each other,” Murdock said. “But at the end of the day, the races stay in the pool and it doesn’t affect our friendship, which is the most important thing to me because I don’t know where I would be without my friends.” The two friends are also looking to finish their senior seasons on a high note at this weekend’s 6A/7A state swim meet in Bentonville. They both will be competing in two events at state. Cobin will be swimming the 100 breaststroke and the 100 freestyle, while Murdock will do the 100 backstroke and the 100 butterfly. “Typically, my specialty is fly but right now back is looking to be the better of my two events, just based on training and how things are going right now,” Murdock said. “I would say I’m a little nervous; there are a lot of underclassmen that have really shown out as really good swimmers. ... I placed last year in the top six at a couple of my events, but I’m excited, I think I can do well, but it’s going to take everything that I have to do well and compete this weekend.” While Cobin is looking forward to doing well in his specialty event, he said he is just as eager to see what he can do in the freestyle. “For me, the breaststroke has just been naturally easier than the other strokes and since I’ve been swimming, that’s always been one of my more competitive events that I place higher in and have had the better times in,” Cobin said. “But I’m really excited for my 100 freestyle this year at the state meet; I’ve been working really hard at it, I’ve been dropping a lot of time and I’m excited to see how fast I can go.” The two friends also haven’t had an entirely smooth ride as seniors. For instance, Murdock temporarily walked away from swimming before deciding to give it one more go. “I kind of lost my love for swimming, I wasn’t having as much fun with it as I have in the past,” he said. “I took some time and did some other things, like other school activities. But definitely in the past several months, I have gotten back into it and definitely the love of swimming rekindled itself. ... It’s been a good season, it’s been a lot of fun. “In the end, I definitely missed it; it was one of those things where I realized how much I loved it and how much I missed it when I was doing those other things. ... I wasn’t happy with where I left off; there were goals I had for years that I hadn’t accomplished and I wanted to get as close as I could to those in the last couple of months that I have (for swimming).” As a matter of fact, Murdock met one of those goals recently, when he qualified for a sectional meet next month in the 200 breaststroke at a last-chance meet. For Cobin, his senior season started off strong before things turned a bit rocky. But like Murdock, Cobin has regained his momentum in time for state. “At the beginning of the year, I was getting really close to my best times and I felt like I was in really good shape to drop a lot of time,” Cobin said. “Towards the middle of the season, I started to add more and more time and I started to become a little more frustrated because this year, I’ve also started to work out more regularly in the gym to try and build more muscle so I could try to become a faster, stronger swimmer. “But I knew if that if I stuck to the work and put in the time, the payoff would come and it did at the club state meet. I swam seven events, and I dropped time in five of them, and so I was really happy to have that many personal best records set.” The state meet is also bittersweet for the two friends because it’s likely one of the last times they’ll be hanging out at the pool. Cobin plans to return to swim for the Tideriders this summer and the computer science major is deciding between swimming at Oklahoma Baptist University and Henderson State University. Murdock won’t be swimming for the Tideriders this summer, because he’ll be serving as a counselor for a church camp in northwest Arkansas before going to attend Missouri State University, where he plans to major in criminal justice. “It’s going to be special for us in large part because it’s going to be our last state,” Cobin said. “We’re going to try to relish the moment and have as much fun. “We’ve had fun at past states, but this state for us is going to be special. It’s our last state, so we’ve got to make the most of it.” The 7A/6A state swim finals will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Later that day, the 5A/1A meet takes place starting at 4:30 p.m. Other 7A/6A state qualifiers being coached by Bullock include: From Southside, senior Nicholas Howard (100 fly) and freshman Lily Melendez (100 fly and 100 back); from Northside, junior Griffith Johnson (50 free and 100 fly) and freshman Ryan Ladmirault (100 back); and from Greenwood, junior Delaney Janz (50 free and 100 free). Bullock will have two of his swimmers compete at the 5A/1A meet, both from Alma in senior Savannah Martin (200 individual medley and 100 breast) and sophomore Luke Pitts (50 free and 100 free).

FRIENDLY RIVALS COBIN, MURDOCK SEEK TO MAKE IMPACT AT FINAL STATE SWIM MEET

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 2/22/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian D. Sanderford