Everything moved very slowly for Chris Griffin during the 400-yard freestyle relay Saturday at the State Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Texas.

He was very aware that he was in the final minutes of his high school swimming career.

“That last event gets to you,” he said. “I saw every single guy touch the wall and knew it was the last time we were hitting that wall together. I just remember leaping into the water thinking, ‘This is it. I’m leaving it all out there. This is everything I’ve got for Lake Travis and my teammates.’”

That last swim took his team from a shuffle between fourth and fifth place to third place and the medal stand, capping a day when he became on of the best swimmers in school and Central Texas history by winning a second individual title and a second place finish to go with the relay team’s third place finish.

It was redemption for last year’s state meet, one in which Griffin failed to medal, a year after winning a state title in the 200-yard freestyle as a sophomore.

“There was a lot going on last year,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I was in the best shape at state last year, but was in better shape for juniors. This year was tougher earlier with all the recruiting trips and everything going on, but I reached a point where I knew I needed to straighten things out and give it everything I had.”

That’s exactly what he did, and it goes to show why so many colleges were interested in Griffin – give him a time and a goal to chase, and he’s nearly unstoppable.

In fact, that’s why swimming has always made more sense as a sport for Griffin.

He was misdiagnosed with ADHD at a young age, and it only made sense to give him a sport that would truly wear him out and make him use all that energy. Sure, he tried other sports, but there was too much sitting in baseball, too much standing around in football and basketball just didn’t make sense.
So he kept swimming, and it’s safe to say it’s made all the difference.

“If I never found swimming, I have no idea where I’d be,” he said. “I don’t know if I’d even be able to go to college. I would have been lost. It would be the opposite of where I am now. I think about it sometimes and it’s scary. Swimming has meant so much to me. It’s brought so much to me, both as a person and the people I got to meet.”

Griffin has been swimming for over a decade, but his ascent to the top of the state swimming mountain has been much more sudden.

He recalls a Texas Age Group Swimming (TAGS) meet when he was 15 as the moment he realized swimming could take him to places he’d never even considered until then.

Griffin’s coach, Janet Risser, tabbed him for the 200-yard butterfly. If Griffin made the cut in the race, he’d get to stay at the meet an extra day. If not, he and his father could go home. It had already been a long meet, and by Griffin’s recollection, dad was ready to go.

“He wanted to get home and watch football,” Griffin laughed. “I told him I was going to make it and he laughed and told me I wouldn’t.”

Griffin made the cut. That’s when Risser got serious.

“She said, ‘You can try other sports, or you can focus on this sport and train harder for it than anything you’ve ever done in your life and you’ll get it all back,’” Griffin said. “’You’ll win, you’ll do well and colleges will come looking for you.’ She said if I put my mind to it, it would work out for me.”

It’s safe to say he’s put his mind to it. Which is why he’s thankful for having Risser.

“I owe a lot to club swimming,” he said. “Janet has been like a second mother to me.”

Of course, Griffin’s actual mother and father (Kathleen and Te) have left an indelible mark, too.

“They’ve meant a lot to me,” Griffin said. “You look at the money that goes into competitive swimming at our level, and it’s crazy. There’s a time commitment, too. And they saw how much it meant to me and how far this could go. If it weren’t for their love and support, there’s no way I could have achieved this much.”

And despite his success away from Lake Travis, he’s always thankful to have been able to swim for the Cavaliers and head coach Darcy Smith.

“The coaches have been amazing,” he said. “Coach Smith has been great since the start, and Coach [Scott] Graham has been so much fun every day.”

The appreciation is mutual. Following Griffin’s championship day at the state meet, Smith lamented losing a swimmer that has pushed and battled since his first day in the pool at Lake Travis, through both stormy and calm waters.

“I’m extremely proud of Chris,” Smith said. “For him to be able to leave this meet and end his high school career this way, on such a high, I’m just so happy for him. He’s earned the hardware and the best times he posted.”

His decision to swim at the high school level has added some personal pride, as well. His accomplishments put him with select company – athletes like Garrett Gilbert, Guy Clayton and Chance Ruffin – athletes that were arguably the best to ever wear black and red in their sport.

That means a lot to Griffin.

“It definitely means something to me to be in this position,” he said. “I want to be the guy that everyone remembers as a big part of the program, as the guy everyone expects that from. I’ve always thought what Garrett did was incredible, and how could you not want to be that kind of leader and worker? I was happy I was able to achieve what I did.”

So when things slowed down, and he rushed to beat out the Alamo Heights swimmer in the lane next to him for that third place spot, his reaction made it seem like a third place finish by a millisecond was better than a 10-second win for the state title.

“I just thought about the team that last 100 yards,” he said. “Everyone deserved to get that result. I’m just so happy for the team.”

A team that will continue its rise, but will always miss swimmers like Griffin and fellow senior Zach Hoffmann, who have meant so much.