Submitted by Amy Williams
The Jefferson Swim League (JSL) held its 53rd Championship meet July 27-28. The Fluvanna Aquatics Sports Team (FAST) and 16 teams from across the region met at the University of Virginia Aquatics and Fitness Center.
Champs Session 1 kicked off Friday at 11 a.m. with swimmers ages 8 and under. Eleven swimmers from this age group represented FAST. This was the first Champs experience for many of these young swimmers, who arrived with a fair amount of nervousness. The coaching staff quickly set them at ease and had them enthusiastic about the day ahead.
By the end of the first session, all of the FAST swimmers had achieved at least one personal time improvement, for which the FAST coaches rewarded them with rubber ducks. With time improvements were: Reed Williams, who shaved 4.73 seconds off his 25-yard freestyle; Lily O’Neill Gummel who dropped 4.48 seconds from her 25-yard freestyle and 9.39 seconds from her 25-yard backstroke times; Jonah England, with an impressive 17.07 seconds taken off his 25-yard backstroke; and Uriah Marks who lost 1.4 seconds in his 25-yard freestyle and 12.9 seconds in his 25-yard backstroke, where he was a heat winner and finished in 21st place.
Other young swimmers grabbed points for the team with their individual event finishes while achieving their time improvements. Also contributing to points for FAST were both the girls and boys age 8 and under 100-yard freestyle relay teams.
With the youngest swimmers done, Champs Session 2, for swimmers ages 13-14 and 15-18, began. Thirteen swimmers, including 12-year-old Talan Botkin, who swam up an age group in relay, represented FAST. This session, all FAST swimmers contributed points to the team’s standing and had time improvements. Four FAST relay teams garnered 95.5 points.
On Saturday morning at Champ Session 3, 10 FAST swimmers competed as 9-10 year olds, all with time improvements. Amy England had an impressive 8.07 second time improvement in her 25-yard backstroke and Levi Thurston-Wells dropped 1.51 seconds in his 25-yard freestyle. The girls and boys 200-yard freestyle relays grabbed points for the team as well.
Champs wrapped up with 11-12-year-olds in Session 4 on Saturday afternoon. All seven of the swimmers obtained time improvements in at least one of their races and all contributed points to the team. The boys 200-yard freestyle relay added an additional 23 points.
In the end, FAST, with just 40 swimmers participating, finished in third place for Division III of the Jefferson Swim League. They lead the division for the 2018 Spirit Award. As swimmers and families headed home from Champs, there was happy reflection on the fun-filled summer that had just come to an end, and high praise for the coaches who had made it possible.
Asked about his thoughts on the season, Head Coach Nathan Johnson said, “The one thing that manages to stand out above the rest is how much the kids have improved. From new to returning swimmers, everyone has truly exceeded my expectations. I’m always blown away by how much kids improve.”
Many of the FAST swimmers will be back in the pool come September as members of the Battlefield Area Star Swimmers, and others as swimmers for Fluvanna High School.
