THE TIMES’ ALL-COUNTY SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR : Not Just Beating the Heat : Darren Ward Keeps His Cool in the Pool Against All Comers

Darren Ward reminds you of the guy who sells high the night before the market crashes. The guy who calmly asks the incredulous poker dealer for five fresh cards and is dealt four aces and a king. A guy who dials the wrong number and wins a free trip to Tahiti from a call-in show.

Ward, the man who would be swimming’s king in the 200-meter individual medley, has a way of making the best of circumstances. He has transformed himself from Olympic long shot to Olympic likelihood.

Eight years ago, Ward was living in Saudi Arabia, where Lockheed Aircraft had transferred his father. Looking for a way out of the kiln-like heat (he said temperatures were sometimes 140 degrees), Ward joined a swimming team.

“It was real hot and everything and I wanted to do something cool,” he said. “I just joined a club but I had no knowledge at all. I didn’t know if I was doing the strokes right or anything.”

Now a swimmer for Sonora High School, Ward has achieved All-American status in 9 of 10 high school events. He also is under consideration for an All-American ranking in the 100-yard breaststroke. At the Southern Section swimming championships in May, he set a national high school record (1 minute 48.83 seconds) in the 200-yard individual medley. The second-place finisher was almost eight seconds behind. He also set a Southern Section record (45.31) in the 100-yard freestyle.

Of course, that didn’t exactly shock the swimming world. Ward, 18, already had set Southern Section records in both events as a sophomore, causing more than one college recruiter to take notice.

“He has no weak stroke,” said Bud McAllister, who coaches him for the Fullerton Aquatic Swimming Team (FAST), a club team for which Ward swims 7,000 meters a day.

At the 1983 Industry Hills Junior Nationals, Ward placed in the top 16, finishing ninth in the 200-meter individual relay (2:11.90) and the 200-meter free (1:57.06). Both times were national records for the 13-14 age group.

“That was when I really became serious,” he said. “I thought if I stayed with it, I could make a career out of it.”

Ward, The Times’ Orange County male swimmer of the year, has already made much of his sport. He will attend UCLA next fall on a swimming scholarship. Just after the Southern Section finals, Ward, who has dual citizenship in the United States and Canada, traveled to Europe with the Canadian national team, swimming in Monte Carlo and Rome.

“I didn’t do so well,” Ward said. “I had the flu in Rome for three or four days, and I was swimming way off my times. But if I were swimming my better times, I would have been finishing first, second, third.” Ward finished fifth in the 50-meter butterfly, sixth in the 200-meter individual medley and eighth in the 200-meter backstroke.

“It’s (the travel) just different to have to adjust to, as I found out,” he said.

Ward’s parents, Bob and Marian, are Canadian citizens working in the United States. For that reason, Ward, who was born in the United States, is considered a citizen of both countries. He can aspire to either the American or Canadian national team.

He ranks ninth among U.S. swimmers in the 200-individual medley, his main event. He concedes his chances of making the U.S. team are slim. Although he will be behind Alex Baumann, Canada’s world record-holder in that event, Ward will be second. The Canadian route seems to be the one that will take him further.

“I’ve pretty much decided not to go the American way,” he said. “In the States, one wrong turn, one bad swim and you can go from ninth to 30th. In Canada, you might go only from fifth to ninth.”

Added McAllister: “With Canada, he could probably not only make the Olympic team but be in the Olympic finals. The opportunity is there, but it’s like gymnastics, you have to be good on the right day.”

But then Ward usually has that kind of luck.

1987 Best Marks

BOYS 200 Medley Relay Mission Viejo 1:35.23* 200 Freestyle Chad Hundeby, Woodbridge 1:38.71 200 Individual Medley Darren Ward, Sonora 1:48.83 50 Freestyle Jeff Thomason, Corona del Mar 21.15 100 Butterfly Frank Wattles, Mission Viejo 50.33 100 Freestyle Darren Ward, Sonora 45.31 500 Freestyle Chad Hundeby, Woodbridge 4:25.92 100 Backstroke Ernie Vela, Mission Viejo 52.64 100 Breaststroke Mike Welch, Capistrano Valley 57.65 400 Freestyle Relay Mission Viejo 3:07.68 GIRLS 200 Medley Relay Capistrano Valley 1:50.01 200 Freestyle Sara Anderson, Moreno Valley 1:49.15 200 Individual Medley Janet Evans, El Dorado 2:02.80 50 Freestyle Christy Carolin, Capistrano Valley 24.14 100 Butterfly Lisa Hadfield, Westminster 56.76 100 Freestyle Casey Fellrath, Mission Viejo 51.75 500 Freestyle Janet Evans, El Dorado 4:42.22 100 Backstroke Alison Wattles, Mission Viejo 58.43 100 Breaststroke Amy Shaw, Capistrano Valley 1:04.15 400 Freestyle Relay Mission Viejo 3:31.15

All distances in yards

*CIF Record