The four Wrangell participants in January's Senior Championship, in Anchorage. Left to right: Renee Roberts, Jack Roberts, Jimmy Baggen, and Nikolai Siekawitch.
Wrangell Swim Club member Jack Roberts, competing in the Alaska Age Group Championship in Ketchikan. According to Coach Jamie Roberts, he finished in the top four of all his events.
The Wrangell Swim Club has had a busy start to 2020, competing in two tournaments in Anchorage and Ketchikan in January and February. Four club members swam in the Alaska Senior Championship, in Anchorage, near the end of January. Coach Jamie Roberts said that this is the highest level competition in Alaska for swimmers between the ages of 13 to the mid-20s. The three-day event saw about 160 swimmers from 16 different teams compete. Wrangell was represented by Jimmy Baggen, Nikolai Siekawitch, Jack Roberts, and Renee Roberts.
"This year's championship meet was held in Long Course Meters (LCM)," Coach Roberts wrote in a statement. "The Wrangell Swim Club trains in Short Course Yards (SCY). Our home pool is 25 yards long. The pool they competed in is 50 meters long. A 50 meter Freestyle is actually 14 feet longer than a 50 yard Freestyle. The biggest challenge for the Wrangell swimmers was that they typically have a wall to push off of every 25 yards, but in a 50m pool they only get a wall every 50m."
According to Roberts, each swimmer took part in six events. Renee Roberts was in the top 16 in three of her events, and Siekawitch made the top 16 in two events. Coach Roberts added that Baggen and Jack Roberts both swam close to their personal bests in their events. This means that they were about as prepared as they could be for the tournament.
"Their performance was a good reflection of the training that we tried to do, to prepare ourselves for long course swimming," she said.
On Feb. 14-16, three Wrangell swimmers went to Ketchikan for the Alaska Age Group Championship. This tournament is for swimmers between the ages of 9 to 14. Wrangell's swimmers were Lucas Stearns, Christina Johnson, and Jack Roberts. They joined about 225 swimmers from 22 different teams. Johnson competed in 12 swims, according to
Coach Roberts, and earned 11 personal best times. This was the first year for Stearns to compete in the Age Group Championship. He took three personal bests out of his seven swims. Jack Roberts earned four personal bests in 13 swims. In all of his events, Coach Roberts said, he placed in the top four.
"Next up for the team is an open swim meet in Juneau in early April, followed by the Alaska Junior Olympics in late April," Coach Roberts wrote. "The team will be holding its annual Lap-a-Thon in March to earn money to attend the open meet and for general operating expenses."
Reader Comments(0)