USELESS BAY — You could cut the tension with a knife around the pool here on Wednesday.
The 44 boys and girls of the South Whidbey Swim Club made ready for their first swim meet; several heats at various distances of freestyle, the breast stroke, backstroke and the dreaded butterfly.
Competing against their friends and the clock, they had a few fears to overcome.
“I was nervous because we’ve never done a meet at that pool before,” said Cassie Neil, 10.
“One side was shallow and the other was deep and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to touch the bottom or not.”
Not to worry, Cassie did great, even winning her breast-stroke heat. It was the kind of event where each athlete got a big round of applause, and deserved it.
Kristi Eager is the club’s coach, assisted by Krista Loecher and Allison Miller. She said the club is the first-ever swim team on the South End.
“We’re a semi-competitive club designed to provide and encourage young swimmers with instruction, training, motivation and, above all, a love for the sport of swimming,” Eager said.
This summer, the team had 44 swimmers ranging in age from 6 to 16. In winter, the team works out at Island Athletic Club in Freeland, but uses the private Useless Bay Country Club pool for the seven-week summer season.
“We hold a one-hour swim meet each session and compete against ourselves,” she said. “The purpose of the meet is to evaluate our improvements and to get a ‘personal best’ time.”
Getting the program under way presented a bit of a challenge.
“We didn’t have any equipment, so the kids and coaches organized a fundraiser to raise money,” Eager said. “They swam for 30 minutes straight, and some of them were able to swim over a mile. They raised enough money to purchase kickboards, pull buoys, ribbons, pace clocks, backstroke flags, swim mirrors and even an equipment caddy.”
As anxious parents ringed the pool, the main event grew closer.
“It isn’t as important to get the best times as it is to show good form, do your very best and have fun,” Kristi told the swimmers after the warm-up period.
Meadow Holtby, 11, swam the 100-yard medley — 25 yards utilizing each of the four strokes.
“My least favorite is the backstroke because I can’t see where I’m going and bump my head,” she said with youthful honesty.
The breast stroke is her fave, but she admitted to the wonders inherent in freestyle.
“I like the feeling of slicing through the water and the joy of getting better each time,” she said. “The breast stroke is good, because I learned it when I began four years ago. It’s sort of a synchronized stroke that lets you breathe easy.”
Katrina Layton, 13, said the club is a great way to meet friends and, well, just hang out in the pool on a hot day.
“The hardest stroke for me is the butterfly, because you need to coordinate your hands and feet in just the right way,” she said. “But when you get it right, you can really fly.”
All the students said Eager and her coaches are excellent teachers.
“Kristi does a good job explaining things; there’s a special lingo and unique skills to swimming, and she makes it all clear,” Katrina added.
Top swimmers by age group were Emily Anderson, Christopher Anderson, Kinsey Eager and Erik Anderson. At a banquet on Thursday, ribbons were awarded amid high fives and earnest vows to do better next time.
Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or sports@southwhidbey
record.com.
