Reavis junior Joey Countryman is one of those apples that didn’t fall far from the tree.
His dad swam in high school. So does he.
His dad broke program records. So does he.
His dad shaved his head.
“It’s on an old VHS tape,” Countryman said. “They were all bald. They shaved their heads as part of a team thing to do. It was pretty cool watching them swim.”
The apple, however, isn’t falling for that one.
“No, I don’t shave my head,” Countryman said, laughing. “A lot of our guys on the JV do, but we don’t.”
Before we get further into Joey’s story, here are some facts you may not know about Reavis in boys swimming.
The Rams were 11-0 in conference, unbeaten for the fourth time in program history. They won three invitational titles. Their 10th consecutive South Suburban Red championship ties the all-time school record set by the wrestling program in the 1960s.
This season, they had four state qualifiers from the deep Lyons Sectional — Daniel Dziwisz, Mauricio Gonzalez, Kamil Biernat and Countryman.
Their 25th-place finish as a team at state was tops among Southland schools. Reavis coach Frank Keller couldn’t say for sure, but that’s quite possibly a first.
Most of their 20 points came from Countryman, who finished fourth in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 200 freestyle.
Countryman was the first Reavis swimmer to make it to the finals since 1985, when Jim Mackin finished second in the 100 butterfly.
Yes, I said 1985.
“It feels really good to be that guy who was able to bring exposure to Reavis,” Countryman said. “I remember watching my past races and the announcers wouldn’t even pronounce our school name right.
“It feels really good with the supporting cast around me, those guys I’ve trained with. And I’m really glad for my coach. I know it means the world to him. I’m glad we were able to get there together.”
Countryman is rewriting the record books at Reavis. Check it out. It’s ridiculous.
This season, he broke 14 records — individually or relays — at Reavis and neighboring schools. Counting the times he broken his own records, he has done it 37 times in his career.
Some of those records belonged to his dad Joe, who graduated in 1998 from Reavis and is in the school’s swimming and diving hall of fame.
Dad was there when Joey was a freshman and knocked his team’s 200 free relay pool mark off the board.
“It felt great,” Joe said. “A lot of people kidded, ‘Oh, you must feel bad.’ But no, I was happier than anybody that Joey was the one to break the record.
“We joke around about it a bit. But I knew he was going to do it eventually.”
Dad should have known. He was the first to teach him as a coach with the Burbank Stingrays.
“I just remember being excited to go to practice every day,” Joey said. “A lot of kids weren’t excited to jump into the cold water, but I enjoyed doing that, especially spending time with my father.
“My dad played a really big part of my life. He got me into swimming when I was just a little kid. And as soon I started doing it, I developed a passion for it.”
Countryman bounces around the lineup for the Rams. His specialty is freestyle sprinting, but Keller will use him in four events, depending on where points are needed in a meet.
“It’s rare to have a swimmer who can swim four strokes as well as Joey does,” Keller said. “He’s a definite asset for the team.
“In many ways, Joey has become like a third coach on the deck. One day, he will make a tremendous coach. I’m incredibly excited for his future.”
In the long term, Countryman has an eye on the 2024 Olympics. For now, he has a record board at Reavis to complete.
“It’s all about leaving a legacy, leaving a mark up there for other swimmers,” Countryman said. “My freshman year I looked up to these guys who have up there since 1985. I was like, ‘Oh, wow. I don’t know how I’ll ever get these times. These guys are super fast.’
“I want other guys, when I’m gone, to look at that and have something to work for.”
In the meantime, his dad had better watch out.
“He has one more record up there for the 200 medley relay,” Countryman said. “Hopefully, we’ll get it next year.”
