ERIK GESSNER
Minnetonka • swimming
When he was 6 years old, Gessner was watching his older sister at swimming practice when he caught the attention of her coach.
"I broke something and instead of getting mad, he yelled at me 'You, get in the water'," Gessner recalled.
He's rarely been out of the pool since.
Wednesday, the University of Wisconsin signee set meet records in the 100 butterfly (49.82 seconds) and 100 backstroke (50.75) and swam on the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams, helping Minnetonka to its second consecutive Class 2A True Team championship.
For Gessner, winning the True Team meet is special because its a victory for the entire team.
"The difference between club and high school swimming is the team," he said. "It's fun and incredibly fulfilling to win with this group of guys. The best part was just seeing the guys excited to swim with the kind of mentality that we can do it again."
Like most competitive swimmers, being in the water has become a way of life. After being startled into a career, he says the longest he's gone recently without swimming is about a week. "We get a month off in August, but I get antsy."
