Noah Norton, a sophomore at Franklin High School and a member of the Franklin swim team, has improved rapidly this year and become a very accomplished swimmer. So far in the 2023 season he has set personal bests in the 500 yard freestyle with a time of 4:50.62 and in the 400 yard individual medley (IM) which he swam in 4:18.85. Both these personal bests were achieved at the 2023 Comfort Suite Corvallis Oregon Senior Open competition on December 1, 2023.
Norton’s goal for his high school competition season is to get first at the Portland Interscholastic League (PIL) state qualifier meet in the 500 yard freestyle, which would qualify him for state. At state in 2024 Norton’s goal is to swim the 500 free in 4:51.
Noah also swims for a Portland Aquatic Club (PAC) competition team, and his goal for this season is to get Sectionals cut. For those who don’t know, club swim teams across the USA follow a pyramid organization for championship competitions. The lowest level competition is by age group, and then age group champs proceed to Zone championships, leading up to Sectionals. Above the Sectionals competition is Futures, then Jr. Nationals, eventually going all the way up to the Olympics. Swimmers compete in meets to move up levels each season.
Norton started swimming in elementary school when his mom put him in swimming lessons. After learning the basics, Norton joined Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) as his first opportunity to swim competitively. In 2016 Norton joined PAC, which specializes in training youth swimmers all the way up to the national level.
As a part of PAC, Norton practices year round, even through the winter PIL season which starts in November and ends in February. Even though it’s a lot of hard work, “I would not be as happy as I am if I didn’t swim. You have a sense of community,” Norton comments. Norton’s favorite part of swimming is his teammates and coaches, which help make up for the rigorous training schedule he has. During pre-season training, Norton swims in the mornings and in the afternoons after a long day of school. Norton also swims in the evening, totaling up to around 15 hours a week spent in the pool.
Along with swimming, he also occasionally does dryland training, specifically weight lifting with his team. Cross training is important because by doing other exercises and sports you can get better at your specific sport. For example, Norton occasionally bikes and runs, along with weightlifting. Norton played baseball and soccer in elementary and middle school, but stopped so he could focus on swimming in high school, although he’s continued skiing, biking and snowboarding in high school.
Recovery is also a very important part of his training. Sleeping and eating enough are essential for Norton to maintain his busy schedule, and high performance. After practice, doing 200-300 yards of cooldown helps relax his muscles and prevent injury.
During the winter months, Norton has PIL meets on some Wednesday and Friday nights, and PAC meets every other weekend. His high school and club meets are mostly in Portland at Matt Dishman Community Center, but some PAC meets take place in Eugene and Corvallis. In the summer Norton sometimes travels to Washington and California for meets.
The Franklin swim team has been coached by Erin Morris for the past three years. Norton describes her as “one of the best coaches I’ve ever had, she makes practices a lot of fun.” She grew up swimming and competed in the 100 fly and 500 free as captain of her high school team.
“My favorite part of coaching high school has been working with each student athlete. I enjoy watching them swim but I love watching them be successful in life,” Morris explains. “I find joy in their connections to each other and the unconditional support of their team.” Morris describes Norton as a “very determined and focused swimmer.”
Caleb Dressel and Michael Phelps are two of Norton’s biggest idols. Dressel is an American professional swimmer and a seven time Olympic gold medal winner who holds world records in the 100 meter butterfly, 50 meter freestyle, and 100 meter individual medley. Phelps also swims short distances, and has a total of 28 medals, 23 of which are gold, making him the most-decorated athlete in Olympic history.
Norton wants to pursue swimming in college. He is looking at East Coast and California schools, wanting to swim at a D1 or D2 college. Morris says, “I will not be surprised when we watch Noah break a world record in swimming. He has a fabulous family to support his dreams and the mindset of a champion. He is only limited by himself at this point in his career. His body and mind are ready for the next chapter in competitive sports.”
Norton is only a sophomore in high school, and he still has lots of time left on the Franklin swim team as well as PAC to keep improving himself as a swimmer. The Franklin community can expect to see great things from him in the next two years and beyond!
