The right choice
Moorpark's Michael Lorch gave up football and focused on swimming
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers WATER MAN- This season, Moorpark High senior Michael Lorch won Marmonte League titles in the 100-butterfly and 200-freestyle events. He'll continue his swimming career at UC San Diego.

Three and a half years ago Michael Lorch turned a bad break into a good one.

During football practice in the summer before his freshman year at Moorpark High, Lorch injured his left knee, which required surgery. Lorch spent the next seven weeks in a wheelchair wondering if football was the right sport for him.

Apparently, it wasn't.

"I had a big debate in my mind if I could go out on the football field again after the surgery, because I didn't want to injure my knee even more," Lorch said.

"It wasn't until a little later that I realized that water sports were for me."

Instead of returning to the gridiron, Lorch decided to give swimming a try. Ever since the decision, he's been one of the Musketeers' best athletes in the pool.

This season, Lorch was the Marmonte League champion in the 100butterfly for the secondstraight season. The senior also took home a league title in the 200 freestyle.

Besides his swimming success, Lorch was a force the past two years on the MHS water polo team. Last fall, Lorch was named to the AllMarmonte League second team in water polo.

Lorch's success shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Lorch's mom, Tina, was an AllAmerican swimmer at UC Davis. The 17-year-old said his mom never put pressure on him to swim.

"I wasn't pushed at all," Lorch said. "I'd planned on giving swimming a shot in the spring, but before the injury I was mostly into land sports like football and basketball."

Lorch began to embrace swimming because it fit his goaloriented style.

"I'm a math guy that loves numbers, so it was very fun in the beginning getting a time and then trying to better it," Lorch said.

"The first time I swam the 100 butterfly, I was horrible. I swam something like a minute and 10 seconds that first time, but I worked on it in practice, and the next time I swam three seconds better. Now I'm all the way down to a 52:49 in the event."

Lorch was improving his times, but he hit a bump in the road during his junior year.

Lorch decided to begin swimming with a club team, CLASS Aquatics, instead of playing basketball. He quickly saw improved results in the pool, but according to Lorch, his former Moorpark coach, Garrett Rose, didn't approve of him swimming for CLASS.

"That junior year was a weird season," Lorch said. "Garrett was a good coach, and knew a lot about swimming from doing it in college, but his motives seemed to be a little off.

"For some reason he didn't want me swimming club. I'm improving my times because of it, but he wanted me to stop. I think he wanted me to swim for his club team instead, and the whole year seemed to be based on that."

Prior to Lorch's senior year, Rose was replaced by Jason Nevis, who took over both the water polo and swim programs. Thomas Smith had stepped down from coaching the water polo team.

Lorch said he's liked Nevis since he arrived.

"Coach Nevis is really nice and he listens a lot," Lorch said. "Not only has he helped me, but I think I've helped him a little, too.

"He's more laid back than Coach Rose was. He's stayed out of my personal affairs and let me do my thing. At the same time, I know he's always there for me. We see eye-to-eye on many things."

Nevis said Lorch has been a pleasure to work with, but the coach didn't know anything about the swimmer prior to coaching at MHS.

"I had no idea he was this good," Nevis said. "I heard some stories about him during water polo, but that was it. He's been a great swimmer for us. He's very intelligent and quick-witted. He's a leader on this team, even if he's a quiet-type and not as vocal."

Just when Lorch had everything he wanted, he got what nobody ever wants- mononucleosis. The sickness kept Lorch out the first third of the swim season.

When Lorch returned, he was as good as new. In the past week, Lorch swam at the CIF-Southern Section Finals and Masters meet in Long Beach.

Lorch will attend UC San Diego in the fall, where he plans on swimming, but not playing water polo.

When Nevis asked Lorch earlier in the year if he would've hit the pool as a youngster had he known how good he would have been, Lorch responded, "Definitely. Without a doubt."