Raider Feature: Sean Carroo
11/18/2010 12:00:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
Nov. 18, 2010
By Syed Muhammad
Sean Carroo is a young man who has competed at a high level despite his unconventional swimmer's physique. A sophomore from Hoffman Estates, Illinois, Carroo is majoring in mechanical engineering with an increased focus on polymer and plastics. He attended Fremd High School, lettered all four years and was named co-team captain of the swimming team. While at Fremd, Carroo help set two school records with teammates in the 200m medley relay and 400m medley relay.
Carroo was also a member of the club swimming team Palatine Park District Tiger Sharks. During his tenure with the club team, he was first introduced to Wright State. "Wright State was first recommended to me by my swimming coach back home, the late Andy Rose," said Carroo. "He was a big influence on me. He would tell me all the great things about the swimming program here. He had already produced some swimmers who had become alumni here. Once I was aware of the program, I did some research and found that WSU also had a great engineering program. Having both of those (aspects) was very appealing to me."
"I live off campus with some of the other swimmers," continued Carroo. "It's a little different from back home. It's a little calmer, relaxed and laid back here. Honestly, I didn't expect so many people to be so nice."
Swimmers' bodies are typically tall with very long arms and torsos. Sean, however, is listed at 5-9 and 155 pounds. He doesn't view himself as having the prototypical swimmer's body, but that has never stopped him from competing in the sport since he was five years old. "My mother was a swimmer, my sister is a swimmer, and all of my friends are swimmers," said Carroo. "For a guy like me, considering my size, I have to be more finesse than physical. I'm more of an underwater swimmer, I have to work a lot on my legs and breath control in order to sustain oxygen. Oxygen deprivation is why a lot of swimmers die off at the end of races. They are not breathing adequately enough."
In the opening meet of the 2010 season against UIC, Carroo competed in three events, 400 medley relay, 200 IM, and the 200 backstroke. Against Valparaiso on November 5, Sean competed in three events, helping lead the way to a Wright State win. In the 200 medley relay, Sean's team finished second with a time of 1:40.70. In the 100 freestyle, Sean was second with a time of 52.01 (second).
The medley relay events combine all four of the different strokes into one race. Although Sean's main event is the backstroke, he uses aspects from all of the events to further hone his training regimen.
"I've been good at the backstroke my entire swimming career," said Carroo. "A couple of guys I trained with back home and I formed the "backstroke squad"."
"Each stroke is unique in the way you train for it, and in the way you actually compete in it," Carroo continued. "The butterfly is very relaxed. You want to feel easy as you get as far out as you can with your pull. The breaststroke is a very relaxed stroke; while you do want to relax with the freestyle; it can be high intensity depending on your distance. The backstroke is a high intensity stroke, your tempo has to be quick, and it requires a higher cardiovascular level than some of the other events."
"I have always loved it, and I still love it."
Players Mentioned
