Throughout his life, Tomas Sodini has bounced around the United States, from Colorado to New Mexico to Montana to Hawaii. But despite the constant change in scenery, there’s always been one consistent backdrop: the swimming pool.
At the age of 7, Sodini claims, he was forced by his parents to take up competitive swimming despite hating the sport. A decade later, after thousands of hours logged in the pool, Sodini is one of the fastest swimmers in the Oahu Interscholastic Association.
"They made me go to a lot of practices that I didn’t want to, but I thank them for that cause I’m kind of fast now," Sodini said.
The 17-year-old competed as a freshman for Kahuku, and was forced to sit out his sophomore season after transferring to Mililani. He also swims year-round with the Kamehameha Swim Club. The grueling schedule includes practicing six days a week, plus a 30-mile drive from his Waialua home to the Kapalama campus.
"I remember there were times when he was like ‘I don’t want to do this,’ and we would tell him, ‘Just finish out this season,’ but he would just keep going. Now he seems to really enjoy it," said Sodini’s mother, Alexia Lopez.
Whether it’s natural-born talent or years of dedication, there’s no questioning Sodini’s speed. As a junior, he and his teammates set records in the OIA championships in the 200 medley relay (1 minute, 39.97 seconds) and 200 freestyle relay (1:29.64). Sodini also set the individual mark in the 50 freestyle (21.60). Last week, the Trojans won the OIA championship for the seventh year in a row with the help of Sodini’s record-setting performance. He broke his own record in the 50 freestyle in 21.37 and claimed the 100 breaststroke title in 1:01.31.
"I get nervous when I watch him and I realize he could be making a personal record, or if there’s a certain qualifying time," Lopez said. "Sometimes I can’t even watch the start; I have to look away on the turn and on the finish because it can be so hard for me to watch."
Lopez might be squirming in her seat as her eldest son takes on the top swimmers in the OC 16 Swimming and Diving Championships this weekend at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.
There will be many familiar faces, as Sodini will face most of his Kamehameha Swim Club teammates. He knows it will be a challenge and hopes to drop his time in the 50 freestyle to the 20-second range.
"Kamehameha has so many fast swimmers, as well as Punahou and ‘Iolani. Kaikena Naone, Noah Deer, almost all the Kamehameha guys are going to states. There’s Renny Richmond, Austin Hirstein, Jacob Urbano … I’m not that fast compared to them," Sodini said.
Despite the tough competition, Mililani head coach Ryan Micale believes Sodini and his teammates will do well in the state tournament.
"Tomas has solid work ethics, he’s good at practice, and does everything that is asked of him. He’s a huge part of our team’s success," Micale said. "At the meets, he knows exactly what he needs to do. He never gets down, but never really gets overly excited either, even if he breaks a record or wins an event. He’s fairly modest in that way."
The humble athlete balances his life with surfing and going to the beach, and he lit up when discussing his most recent project.
"I’m restoring a 1968 Volvo (122S) right now. It doesn’t have any wheels or windshield," Sodini said, as his passion shifts from the pool to the garage. "I’ve been working on it for a straight year and I just finished painting it."
The arduous project is a nice distraction from the pressures of being a high school senior. Sodini said this has been the best year so far, but also the most distracting with college looming. He plans to continue his athletic career at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York or possibly pursue water polo at the California Maritime Academy. Both schools are close to the ocean and offer a chance for him to continue working on engines.
With two colleges to choose from and his final state tournament on the line, Sodini will continue the daily grind that has led him to success.
"I’m ready for whatever happens," he said.
