German exchange student Carl Schiller packing all the fun he can into one year in Chesterton and swimming a big part of his year abroad

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

He had to pack on the pounds to give himself his best shot at performing well for the JV football team. And he had to drop those pounds for the sake of dropping times in the swimming pool.
Carl Schiller, a sophomore exchange student, has raced more than fellow swimmers all season. He has raced time itself. What would happen first: Would Schiller whip himself back into swimming condition after a year out of the pool to the point he could become a factor for the Trojans, or would he run out of time?
Schiller has won that race and just as Chesterton head boys and girls swim coach Jenni Kellstrom predicted would happen, he’s become a force during his one-year as an addition to the roster.
The first sign that Schiller had won his race against time came in the DAC JV meet, where he won the 50 free and the 100 free and swam a leg for the winning 200 free relay.
His late-season surge continued at the varsity meet, where he finished third in the 50 free with a 22.32 and eighth in the 100 free with a 49.29. He also swam for the 200 and 400 free relays, both of which took third place.
Schiller said he has lost 60 pounds since his weight topped out for football.
“I stopped eating,” he said. “I went down from three meals a day to one. Now I’m trying to keep my weight where it is (200) and not drop more.”
He does plan on dropping his times, however. A look at his 50 times in DAC meets demonstrates his steady improvement: Dec. 2 vs. Crown Point: 24.51; Dec. 16 vs. Valparaiso: 24.37; Jan. Jan. 13 vs. Lake Central: 23.86; Jan. 20 vs. Portage: 23.85, and then the big breakthrough on Jan. 24 at DAC JV meet: 22.29; Jan. 31 at DAC varsity: 22.32.
“I was out of the pool for a year, in total, but I found my way back in pretty good, I think,” he said. “I’m surprised how well I did, but on the other hand, it’s also like the mentality of always wanting more. Also, I know what to work on now, so I can get even better.”
He said that he will work more on “the underwaters and starts before the sectional.”
He attributes the steady drops to “consistency, consistency of the workouts. Two hours in the morning and then another workout in the afternoon.”
Schiller also didn’t waste any time in growing his friendship base, quickly becoming a popular teammate.
“He’s a fun guy. He knows how to have fun,” teammate Vlad Lutterman said. “He’s a magnetic person. People are attracted to him. The way he talks, the way he smiles. He’s got a great smile. He’s a fun guy.”
Visa rules require Schiller to return to Germany after his year is up. There is no way around it.
“Sadly not,” Schiller said. “I wish I could spend the rest of my high school years at Chesterton High School. It’s just amazing. The team, the people, the coaches, the teachers. Everything is really nice. If I could stay for more years, I would definitely do both sports over and over.”
Schiller is staying with “an amazing” host family, a big part of why he is so happy he made the decision to become an exchange student. The same can be said for his decision to return to join the Chesterton swim team after strength and conditioning coach Matt Wagner let Kellstrom know about a swimming conversation he had with Schiller about his swimming experience in Germany.
“This year made me a better swimmer than in Germany, the amount of practice, the intensity, it’s a lot more here,” he said.
That wasn’t a complaint. It was a compliment.
“I love it,” Schiller said.