January Athlete of the Month: Brody Carlson
Photo submitted by Brody Carlson
By Riley Veenendaal
Congratulations to January’s Male Athlete of the Month, Brody Carlson! Brody is a current junior here at Hamilton. He is a part of the Boys Varsity Swim Team. Brody recently helped lead the Menomonee Falls Hamilton Boy’s Swim and Dive Team to a second-place-overall finish at the Cedarburg Invite. At this event, he took first place in the 200 Medley Relay, second place in the 400 Free Relay and 200 Freestyle, and a third place finish in the 50 Meter Freestyle.
Head Coach Brian Berg speaks highly of Brody stating, “Amongst all of the fine athletes at Hamilton High School, Brody Carlson is an excellent choice for Athlete of the Month! Within the past week, Brody has been part of the record-setting 200 Medley Relay team, breaking a team record that was set at the state championship last season. At the same meet, Body also broke the team record in the 200 Freestyle. The previous record dated back to 1992! Brody is a very dedicated, very hard worker and a high level thinker. That is the stuff champions are made of!”
Keep reading to learn more about Brody as a person and a player!
How long have you swam, and why do you?
I've swam competitively for around 9 years. I continue to swim mainly to maintain the social life I have developed within the sport and to pursue my hope of swimming in college.
Who is your athlete role model, and why?
My athlete role model is Michael Phelps because he proved that what was once believed impossible (to win 8 gold medals at one Olympics) was possible when he did exactly that in the 2008 Olympic games.
What has your main goal this season been?
My main goal this season is to make a podium finish at state, as well as break the 500 freestyle and 200 freestyle team records.
What are your future plans involving swim?
My future plans for swimming are not entirely clear. How I do in the near future will determine whether I swim in college. I do aspire to swim through my college career, but I have placed academics over athletics and, therefore, may not have the opportunity to swim depending on where my academic life takes me.
Do you play any other sports and if so what?
I do not play any other sports. Going into my freshman year, I chose to focus solely on swimming and drop the other sports I was playing at the time including baseball, track, and cross country.
Do you have any teammates, coaches, parents, or other people in your life that have helped as an athlete?
My parents have been my greatest supporters, never pressuring me to do better but believing in me that I am trying my best. Both my club coaches and high school coaches have helped greatly with my swimming career, as without their training exercises and support, none of this would be possible. My teammates and friends have also played a key role in my swimming life by always being there to support me and believe in me, while also making the sport fun and making sure I never take it too seriously or get burnt out.
Besides swimming, what are some of your other hobbies?
I don't have many hobbies since school and swimming take up most of my life, but just hanging out with my friends, playing basketball with my brother, or playing video games would be a few.
What are your premeet rituals?
Your mental performance leading into a meet is incredibly important as if you believe you can do something, you will, and vice versa. For this reason, before my race, I map out the splits I need to hold to achieve my goal time, as well as visualize myself swimming the event, overall giving myself confidence in my abilities. I try to stay loose by jumping around, listening to music, and cheering on teammates, but most importantly I make sure I am having fun leading up to the event since being in a good mood is crucial to your performance. Once in the water, I don't think about anything but rather just swim, trusting my training leading up to the race.
Do you have any pieces of advice?
My biggest piece of advice is to keep working hard and never give up. Swimming is difficult in the fact that you can work hard all season long and not see results until the very final meet or even longer. It can be very demotivating to never see improvements, but you must always see the light at the end of the tunnel. Although I use this in my swimming life, it is applicable in all aspects of life, as life is a grind.
What is your favorite event?
My favorite event is definitely some sort of freestyle event. Although not my greatest, I would probably say the 50 freestyle, since it is such a short race and is really just a splash and dash to see who can reach the wall first. The 500 freestyle would probably be a close second, because although it hurts much more, I am much better at it, and it is quite fun to compete with some of the best in the state.
What is your PR/state ranking?
My PR in the 500 freestyle is 4:39.65, and my overall state ranking for the class of 2026 is 10th.
