It is Monday morning. The upcoming weekend could not be further away than it is right now. And while many junior high kids are wishing it was Saturday already so they could stay in bed, Aquahawk swimmers hope the weekend comes quickly so they can jump out of bed as early as they do on a school day and jump into the pool.

Every day in the week leading up to a swim meet, members of the Lawrence Aquahawks go to school, go to practice, go home, do their homework and go to bed. There is not much time for video games, Internet chatting or hanging out.

Aquahawks give up a little of their social freedoms to become better swimmers and log thousands of meters in the pool every week in the process.

“They’ve made a choice in their minds to be committed to the program, and therefore, they’re getting results,” said Aquahawks coach Mike Soderling. “The more you show, the faster you go,” he likes to say.

Monday through Friday practices are two hours long and the sets Aquahawks like Sarah Schwartz and Ben Sloan swim vary every day to avoid monotony and keep swimmers well-rounded.

More than anything, practices are about working on technique. “We do a lot of kicks to build our leg strength up because that’s very important in a race,” Schwartz, 14, said.

Early week practices are rigorous, but come Thursday, look out. That is when Aquahawks are expected to turn it up a notch with long-distance sets that prepare them for a meet.

“It’s pretty much the hardest thing I’ve done before a meet,” Sloan said of the six 400-yard sets he completed in intervals at his latest Thursday practice.

“Every day is a meet,” Soderling said. “We try to go fast every day.” Aquahawks approach practice in that fashion so a meet day will seem like an ordinary day for the swimmers.

Once the weekend rolls around, Aquahawks get an early wake-up call. Sloan, 12, said he rises at 6:30 a.m. for a typical meet. He eats some eggs, bacon and fruit, grabs his swim gear, gets in the car and starts mentally preparing himself for the day.

“Usually I’m thinking about my races and thinking about what times I’m trying to get,” he said of his visualization process.

Meet day preparation is virtually the same for Schwartz. “I usually get up, eat a little – probably something my mom made – and go to the meet and just chill and stretch,” she said.

At a typical meet Sloan and Schwartz will swim in five to 10 events and each swimmer specializes in fly and back races.

The meet could last five or six hours, which means lots of pool time and lots of down time.

Sloan said he often stays occupied by playing cards with other swimmers. “I usually just sit and rest and drink some Gatorade,” he said.

Similarly, Schwartz uses her free time at a meet to escape for a while. “I actually kind of put it out of my mind so I don’t get so nervous about it,” she said of her mindset when she is not in the pool. “I usually listen to my iPod, talk with friends or eat.”

Despite the “every day is a meet” mindset, Sloan said the day of a competitive meet is inherently different. “You’re more serious, you’re more concentrated, you’re more focused and more mentally into it.”

Schwartz concurred. “If it’s a championship meet for my main races I’m kind of nervous and kind of pressured,” she said.

Win, lose or draw, meet day will wear an Aquahawk down. “It’s a lot of swimming on the weekend,” Schwartz said.

“I usually sleep on the way back home,” Sloan said. “It feels really good though.”

After that, an Aquahawk can call it a night. Then get up on Monday and do it all over again.