Kachemak swimmers score best times at Kenai event

Fifty-eight swimmers from the Kachemak Swim Club participated in Spring Champs, a meet hosted by the Seward Tsunami Swim Club and held in Kenai on Saturday.

“This is a very exciting meet,” said KSC Coach Rebecca Hardy. “A lot of enthusiasm and high expectations came to the water at this last meet before Junior Olympics. This meet is one we look forward to very year.”

At the end of the meet, trophies are presented for team sportsmanship, team high point; and plaques for first, second and third place in each age group.

“And of course, the meet being held in Kenai means that the day’s accomplishments are revisited by the traditional, celebratory meal at Dairy Queen,” said Hardy, who summed up KSC performance in the meet as “great.”

“As a team working together with enthusiastic cheering, screaming and whistling, encouragement and sportsmanship, KSC won the team sportsmanship trophy,” said Hardy.

Posters made by the swimmers covered the wall behind the KSC swim area.

“(They were) colorful, bright and fun,” said Hardy. “It was a very festive mood.”

The 100 IM event can be a challenging one for young swimmers because it requires the ability to swim four different strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.

“It is an impressive accomplishment,” said Hardy. “We had two eights-and-under swimmers swim this, Carly Nelson and Lucas Story.”

In addition, there were eight 9- to 10-year-old swimmers that entered the event and nine 11- to 12-year-olds.

“I am very proud of these swimmers for rising to the challenge,” said Hardy. “It is a praiseworthy achievement.”

Several KSC swimmers earned a place on the awards podium for their high-point scoring:

First place, girls 8 and under:
Carly Nelson;

First place, boys 8 and under: Luke Nelson;

Second place, boys 8 and under: Lucas Story;

First place, girls 9-10: Madison Story;

Third place, boys 11-12: Theodore Castellani;

Second place, boys 13-14-: Clayton Arndt.

Seniors were recognized at the meet, with KSC swimmers James and Mark Nagle among those honored.

The next meet for KCS is Junior Olympics in
Anchorage on April 24-27.