Swim or mow the lawn.

The choice was easy for Fountain-Fort Carson’s Nick Maddy. And now the senior owns the best school times in the 100-yard freestyle, 100 butterfly and helped set the top marks in the 200 medley, 200 free and 400 free relays.

His third-place finish in 23.25 seconds during Saturday’s Colorado Springs Metro League meet at Cheyenne Mountain was short of the 50 free record of 22.85, but he will have another shot next week at the 5A state meet.

And all of this because of his mom gave him an ultimatum a year after he tore up his knee in freshman football.

“My mom was like, ‘You can either do swimming or do chores every day after school,’” said Maddy, who also finished fourth in the 100 free. “So I chose the lesser of two evils you could say. And I just loved it, so I’m glad she made me do it.”

Give Rampart senior Austin Smith’s parents an assist too. After some prodding to try swimming in middle school, Smith decided to take their advice his freshman year.

And like Maddy, Smith, who finished second in the 200 individual medley and won the 100 breaststroke at Metros, credits his decision to join a club team for his big strides.

“I got into club, and it was kicking my butt,” said Smith, who has swam with the Falfins since the end of his sophomore year. “And so I got fast real quick and really pushed myself to be good.”

The similarities between Smith and Maddy don’t end there.

Both plan to study kinesiology next year — Smith at North Dakota on a swimming scholarship and Maddy at Wyoming. And both are looking to make a splash for teams overshadowed by area powers Lewis-Palmer and Cheyenne Mountain.

Smith is ranked No. 2 in 5A with a time of 59.25 in the breast, making him the best chance for the Rams to have a top-three state finisher at state for the first time since Bob Dawson in 2006.

“I have a goal, and it’s No. 1,” Smith said. “It’s going to take a 55 (seconds) at least, and that would be a new state record, too. Gotta go big for this one.”

If Maddy can finish in the top 16 in prelims in the 50 or 100 free, he will be the first Trojans swimmer to make it back for Day 2 of a state meet since Pat Cardillo did it twice at 4A in 2008. Although he’s more concerned with checking the 50 free school record off his list — which is definitely not filled with chores.

“I have a good feeling about it,” Maddy said.

Fountain-Fort Carson’s Nicholas Maddy shakes hands with Rampart’s Alex Garcia (not pictured) after swimming to a second-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle during the Colorado Springs Metro League boys swimming and diving championships Saturday. Photo by CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

Christian murdock