It was a great showing for 13-year-old Sedona resident Carlos Lattanzi as Lattanzi tore up the pool last weekend at the IMX Extreme.

Lattanzi placed first in four separate 200-yard events including the backstroke, individual medley, breaststroke and butterfly.

“The IMX meet is one of the more difficult events because you cannot choose which events to swim in,” Lattanzi’s dad Rick Dembow said. “Swimmers might be tasked with the 500-yard freestyle or the 400-yard individual medley, so you must be ready.”

Lattanzi was not done, however, as he also finished first in the 400-yard individual medley and the 500-yard freestyle.

“I was very confident heading into the match based off how I had been training,” Lattanzi said. “In the past, I was nervous before a match started but now I go into matches thinking I am the swimmer to beat.”
After Lattanzi’s performance,he now sits at ninth in the United States for 13-year-old American swimmers,while his new 400 IM time ranks him No. 11.

To prepare for IMX, Lattanzi trained six days a week and split time in both Phoenix and Sedona to practice.

In Sedona, Lattanzi practices with the Sedona Swordfish as well as the Sedona Red Rock High School team.

“Dan Morse, the high school coach, was nice enough to let Carlos swim alongside his team during the week,” Dembow said. “When Carlos is not in Phoenix, he practices with them as well, so it is a lot of back-and-forth for him.”

“Carlos’ best attributes are his work ethic and enthusiasm, which coincidentally
are two of the best qualities to look for in a young athlete,” Morse said. “He has only been training with us for a few weeks but he has fit right in with the rest of our group.”

While Lattanzi’s swim schedule can be quite hectic, he would not have it any other way.

“The season has been great, I am becoming more confident and have really improved my swimming this year,” Lattanzi said. “ I did not start out too excited about swimming but now it is my entire life and I love it.”

Up next for Lattanzi is the Holiday Swim Fesitval on Thursday, Nov. 29.

“Every year, this event is the biggest swim meet in Arizona aside from the state championship,” Dembow said. “All of the club teams in Arizona will attend along with many swimmers from neighboring states.”

Hosted by Arizona State University, The Swim Festival hosted over 1,200 swimmers last season and will feature over 1,000 swimmers.

“For the swimmers, it is a great measuring stick since this race is the last major event before the state championships in March,” Dembow said. “At this point, the swimmers are halfway through the season, so the will see how they are doing and where they can improve.”

While the Holiday Swim Festival is a major event, it is also a fun occasion for the swimmers.

“They see the same kids from last year come from Colorado, California and other states so the swimmers definitely look forward to it,” Dembow said. “The kids have trained hard for the first half of the year so it is a serious event, but they enjoy the socializing as well.”

The Arizona Age Group State Championship starts Thursday, March. 7, at the Southwest Valley YMCA in Goodyear Arizona.

“I try to avoid making bold predictions regarding a young swimmers potential but his approach to training and competition which will take him a long way in this sport,” Morse said.