Emporia shines at last-chance meet
Monday, July 20, 2009
It was a very busy weekend at Jones Aquatic Center, and that’s considering it was closed to the swimming public. The annual Emporia Aquatics Club swim meet brought a large crowd, as well as just shy of 200 participants from around Kansas.
The meet was designated as a “Last Chance” meet, with swimmers seeking a final opportunity to reach the cut to be eligible for the Division II meet, which is held next weekend in Topeka.
Emporia had 11 first-place finishes. Jordan Metz won the 200 individual medley, the 200 freestyle and the 50 breaststroke. Rebecca Tidwell won the 100-meter freestyle and the 50-meter freestyle. Olivia Young won the 100 breaststroke. Regan Hastert won the 100 back stroke. Stephanie Slayden won the 100 freestyle. Meg Detwiler won the 100 breaststroke, and Wyatt Mattas won the 50 freestyle.
Emporia was well represented, with 23 competitors, from age 10 to 19, seeking to make the cut, including many who are still learning their craft and just getting their feet wet.
“Four of them, it was their first meet ever,” Emporia coach Kyle Ediger said. “It was a meet that we had a lot of first-timers compete, and they did great for their first meet. They’re used to swimming in what we call short course yards in a 25-yard pool, and we’re swimming long course meters in a 50-meter pool. It’s over twice as long and half as many walls, and it takes them a little bit to get used to it.”
Among the successes on the weekend was Hastert, who was among top placers in several events, including a win in the 11-12 girls Division B 100-meter backstroke.
“(I was looking for) a Division I cut in the 50 fly, 50 backstroke, and 50 freestyle,” Hastert said.
Hastert didn’t make each envisioned cut, but her coach found her performance to be one of the steadiest of the meet.
“She was very consistent this weekend, right around her best times, right around some cuts,” Ediger said.
The plan was to use this meet to springboard Emporia into next weekend’s Division II meet, with a chance there to advance to Division I.
“We’ve had six girls qualify and get some new Division II cuts,” Ediger said. “Olivia Young, Meg Detweiler, Summer Wilson, Taylor Mason, Rebecca Tidwell, and Katie Scherich. We’ve got one more weekend and we’re going to look for some Division I cuts. From the beginning of the summer, all of the girls have made a lot of progress. They’ve come a long way and I’m very pleased with how they’re doing.”
Ediger wasn’t sure how his swimmers would handle the new environment or the different races, but one stepped up who wasn’t in his list of usual suspects.
“I didn’t know what to expect, because they are relatively new to the sport,” Ediger said. “The closest one to being a surprise was Hayley Spellman. I saw some passion out of her. She’s a very laid-back girl, always comes to practice and never complains, and doesn’t talk much. I saw some enthusiasm and some real racing out of her today.”
On the boys’ side of the pool, Wyatt Mattas also advanced to the next level, reaching the Division II level in the 50-meter freestyle.
With so much youth in the ranks, there is always room for improvement, as Ediger took note of many weaknesses and struggles, though much of it boils down to inexperience. He hopes that the Division II meet next weekend will continue to give that developmental opportunity to his swimmers.
“We’ve got 10 kids qualified, and we’re definitely taking six,” Ediger said. “Just getting an extra meet, it’s all about extra swims to better our times. With our younger ones, we still have some technique issues that we’ve got to take care of. My older ones need some racing strategy with their technique. My younger ones go to quite a few meets during the summer. My older ones this was their first meet of the summer. For a lot of them, this was their first long course meet ever. We’re just trying to get them used to racing.”
This weekend, the pool was well populated by the younger kids, especially on the Emporia roster.
“We had a lot of 12-and-under kids here. We can always use some older kids to come to the meet,” Ediger said.
Ediger has a lot more to work on in the weeks to come, however, as he is traveling to Indianapolis in August, not as a coach, but as a competitive swimmer. He will be participating in a number of events at the U.S. Masters Long Course National Championship from August 6-10th.
“I’ll be competing in the 50, 100, 200 and the 400 freestyle and the 100 backstroke,” Ediger said. “It’s a qualifying meet from several other smaller meets. I want to get up and race. It’s what I love to do. It’s why I don’t ever want to stop swimming.”
If Ediger’s passion for the sport rubs off on his swimmers, then Emporia’s chances in the upcoming meets are pretty good.
If anyone would like to join the Emporia Aquatics Club, donate time or money, or would just like to learn more about their purpose and activities, please contact Ediger at 785-375-2234.