Lucile Chevalier has been breezing through her classes at Rampart.

“I don’t think I’m smarter,” said the exchange student from Bordeaux, France. “ …The scientific stuff, it’s easy I think.”

But the sophomore has had a harder time doing the conversions in the pool, where the altitude, among several things, has her unhappy with her times.

“I’ve never been so tired,” she said after swimming to second place in the 200-yard freestyle Tuesday against Lewis-Palmer.

Chevalier also said the different school hours — her French classes in France go from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — and the switch from the metric system — going from a 50-meter pool to a 50-yard set up — are affecting her.

“I hate yards,” she said. “I don’t really know where I am actually.”

She did estimate, though, that her time of 2:03.87 is 11 seconds slower than what she can do in France, where she would be on the junior national team if not for her year abroad.

“She’s used to swimming less turns,” Rams coach Burch said. “ … I know she’s been working hard on her turns, trying to get them down and more efficient. She got her butterfly turn.”

Chevalier placed first in the 100 butterfly, helped her team to a win in the 200 medley relay and swam the fastest split of the entire field in the 400 free relay, in which the Rams finished second.

Lewis-Palmer won the meet 205-109 after taking the other 10 events, led by sophomores Shannon Babcock, who won the 200 individual medley and 100 free, and Karin Roh, who took first in 100 back and topped Chevalier in the 200 free.

And though things might not be going her way in the water, Chevalier said she’s going to miss America.

“I really like school spirit,” said Chevalier, who only has club sports available to her back home. “Swimming team at school, that’s what I like a lot.”

Rampart’s Lucile Chevalier congratulated teammate Carli Snyder (in the water) after the two helped the Rams to a first-place finish and a 5A state-qualifying time in the 200-yard medley relay Tuesday at Rampart High School. Photo by JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE

The scoreboard’s reflection lit the way to first place for Lewis-Palmer’s Shannon Babcock, a sophomore at Palmer Ridge, in the 200-yard individual medley Tuesday at Rampart High School. The Rangers won the dual meet 205-109. Photo by JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE