Asher Walker heads into his Senior season at Tavares High School as the clear top dog on the swimming team. Walker has been to the FHSAA State Championships for 3 years in a row. The Senior is coming off his best year to date where he finished 4th in the 50 Yard Freestyle Final and 6th in the 100 Yard Frestyle Final at last years FHSAA State Championships.

Asher has always been a competitor. He is motivated and driven. Walker gets up every morning at around 4:30am and swims twice a day. His hard work and determination to swim with the best does not go unnoticed. But he also has limited options in our area. When he is not training in the Lake County Area, Asher can be found at the South Lakes Aquatic Club.

Tavares High School does not have it’s own pools so finding pool time can sometimes be a challenge, not only for Asher but the Tavares team. During the season head coach Nicholas Johnson does the best he can to find open pools but for many of the kids finding alternative methods to training is what they have to do. Tavares also has a very small swim team but Asher is hoping to change that and grow the program. Even doing so Asher usually heads to an alternative site to train.

For Asher, South Lakes Aquatic Club has been a terrific fit ever since he began to train there. The club is located in Clermont, Florida. Coach Don Gibb has over 35 years of experience and has helped shape young Asher into a fine swimmer. Gibb has coached teams at Florida State University, The University of South Carolina, and Daytona State College.

(Walker powers off the starting block during a relay race. Walker is Tavares High Schools top swimmer.)

Through Donald Gibb’s coaching, Asher has really begun to turn some heads this summer. Asher is hoping to get enough interest to get a scholarship for swimming if possible. Although he has no current offers at the time of this writing. We hope he can impress the scouts in his Senior year and maybe get to compete at the next level.

Asher is nearly there. He almost got a podium at the FHSAA Swimming State Championships this year. With a little extra effort he might be able to podium this year but he has to get through the entire season and regionals of course to qualify. We certainly believe he will have a shot at it!

(Walker trains in Clermont because Tavares High School lacks a pool but Walker is always happy to represent Tavares High and has done so the past 3 years. He will once again rep Tavares colors for his Senior year.)

When he is not swimming, Asher loves working with kids and loves teaching them how to swim in and around the Tavares area. He is involved with The Tavares High School Suicide Prevention Program. Asher has lost family members to suicide and he is is very passionate about preventing such incidents from taking place.

That’s the kind of kid Asher is. He cares deeply about people and wants success not just for himself but for the people around him. He certainly has some great role modles including his mother Linsey and father Robert Walker who are very supportive of Ashers hopes and dreams. They want nothing more than for Asher to have success in whatever he chooses to do.

The season is fast approaching. In just under two months there will be swimming competitions, football games left and right and all sorts of sports going on at local high schools. We wish Asher the best of luck as his Senior year approaches! We hope Asher can get to the FHSAA State Swimming Championships for a 4th year in a row!