Social aspect is big part of the team's appeal

Sunday, January 21, 2007

BY SETH GORDON

News Staff Reporter

The Ypsilanti Otters Swim Club has been drawing members from all over Washtenaw County for years, and the reason why boils down to one thing: It's fun.

"For me, it's an outlet because I don't get along with a lot of people at school,'' 13-year-old Elinor Chambers said. "I come here and have a lot of friends.''

And while 2006-07 has been a transition year as the Otters search for a new head coach, the good times at Ypsilanti High School haven't stopped.

"My son swam here two or three years ago and he just loved it,'' said parent Stanley Williams, whose 6-year-old daughter Morgan is currently a member. "He competed and loved it. They bring a lot of kids through here. A lot of these people come from Ann Arbor. I live almost in Belleville and people ask me how Justin learned to swim like that, and I just say: 'At Ypsi Otters.'''

After former head coach Kelton Graham left the program to join Club Wolverine, several people have pitched in to fill the void, from president Cathy Thorburn to coaches Bonnie Cervantes and Mike Zang.

Cervantes is in her 14th year coaching with the Otters, and in addition to working with the club's developmental group, is acting as interim head coach.

"It was kind stressful,'' Cervantes said. "We lost some of the kids to Club Wolverine when he left, too. But we've gotten a lot of new kids, which is exciting.''

Cervantes heads the developmental group, which teaches beginning swimmers basic strokes, and has a knack for working with young children.

"Sometimes you get some kids who don't adapt to the water quickly, but Bonnie has a way of getting the kids in the water and they love it,'' Williams said. "In the fall, you'll see some kids who are afraid to get in the water, but somehow Bonnie gets them in there.''

Zang, who swam with the Otters as a child and was coached by Cervantes, has returned to the club after graduating from swimming powerhouse Pioneer High School in 2005.

"I grew fond of it,'' Zang said. "You become part of the team, part of the community when you come here. It seemed like a natural step for me.''

Zang took over the competitive group, which focuses on fine tuning strokes and improving endurance to a competitive level, and says he has a blast coaching and loves the children the Otters bring in.

"I think the most fun they have is making friends and spending time with friends here,'' Zang said. "When I was swimming, when you drop time, that's always fun.''

The Otters swim in two sessions, one in the fall and one in the winter/spring, and compete in a championship meet with other clubs from across southern Michigan after each one.

Shannon Lemmer, 13, swims under Zang in the competitive group with Chambers and 12-year-old Karen Bates, and enjoys the social aspect of the club.

"It's different because all of us go to different schools, so we meet new people here,'' Lemmer said. "You also get to do something on the weekends, instead of just sitting at home. You can talk to your friends, but still improve yourself at swimming.''

All three said they want to compete in high school and feel they are ahead of the game when it comes to the training they receive with the Otters.

"The coaches are really nice and really helpful,'' Lemmer said. "You couldn't have better coaches.''

Said Chambers: "You can talk to them openly. They tell you what you're doing wrong with your stroke, and if you don't get it, they keeping working on it with you without being mean.''

Cervantes said that the club's numbers are a little bit down this year, but expects that to change with the Olympics coming up.

"Every four years we get a big surge of kids once the Olympics come around,'' Cervantes said. "We're on the tail end right now. It's like that with everybody, I think.''

Seth Gordon can be reached at sgordon@annarbornews.com or

734-482-2829.

3 area swimmers qualify for more

Long Course efforts result in trip to Ohio for zone championship

Monday, August 9, 2004
BY JAMES BRIGGS
News Sports Reporter

Three members of the Ypsilanti Otters Swim Club qualified for the Central Zone Age Group Championships at Miami (Ohio) University with outstanding performances July 29-Aug. 1.

James Fisher, Madeline Gillen and Kevin Naud all placed during the Michigan Swimming Long Course Championship at Eastern Michigan University.

The meet was a chance for the local swim club to show its skills to the community.

Fisher, 10, won the 50-meter breaststroke; Gillen, 11, was second in the 200 breaststroke and seventh in the 400 breaststroke; and Naud, 11, finished third in the 50 butterfly.

"Everybody swam well,"

Otters coach Kelton Graham said. "Nobody had a bad swim."

The EMU meet was the last team meet of the summer for the Otters, who have been competing each week since May.

"I thought they would be tired from all that swimmer, but they weren't," Graham said.

Fisher and Gillen went to the zone meet in Ohio on Thursday but Naud was unable to attend.

Fisher and Gillen are among the strongest young swimmers in the area, Graham said.

"Both are really aggressive racers," he said. "Neither one of them likes to lose.

"Some people just like to win, but (Fisher) hates to lose - there's a difference. He's very competitive.

"Madeline's kind of the same way. She's very disciplined. You tell her to race a certain way, and she'll try real hard to race that way. She's a perfectionist swimmer."

Graham just took over as coach of the Otters a few weeks ago after former coach Keith Shields stepped down.

Graham is working to get more young swimmers signed up for the fall. The Otters usually have more than 100 swimmers ages 4 to 18.

Graham encourages young athletes to try swimming.

"In basketball, you can't

really tell if you're improving. If you have a good team, you'll win. In swimming, you can

always monitor your improvement.

"You can't cheat in swimming. If you slack, it's going to show in your progress.

"It's the ultimate test to see if you work hard or not."

Anyone interested in joining the Otters can reach Graham at (734) 397-0553.

James Briggs can be reached at jbriggs@annarbornews.com or (734) 482-2829.

© 2004 Ann Arbor News. Used with permission

Chippewa shatters records, but Huron Valley wins again

Friday, July 30, 2004
BY MARK HELLER
News Sports Reporter

The more events Nick Austin swims, the more records he breaks.
All told, five Washtenaw Interclub Swimming and Diving Championship meet records were shattered during Thursday's finale at Travis Pointe Country Club.

The Chippewa Pirhanas Swim Club can claim responsibility for all five.

With the week's outcome largely decided, Austin claimed four of the day's records -

including one that previously stood for more than 20 years - and Madeline Gillen took the fifth.

Despite Chippewa's impressive display in the 11-12-year-old portion on Thursday, Huron Valley Swim Club won its 29th consecutive title with 3,002 points during the four-day meet. They were followed by Milan Swim Club (2,060.5), Ann Arbor Country Club (1,968.5), Chippewa (1,896.5) and Racquet Club of Ann Arbor with 1,624.

Austin's time of 1 minute, .43 second in the 100 individual medley was two seconds faster than the mark set in 1984.

In the 50 freestyle, he surged at the end for a 24.46, beating the 1985 record by one-quarter of a second.

Things were less nail-biting in the 100 freestyle, his time of 53.65 beat Edward Lee's record last year by nearly five seconds.

In a fitting way to close out the day, Austin anchored the record-breaking 200 freestyle relay, joined by Mikey Fisher, Cameron Clark and Kevin Naud. The foursome's time of 1:50.84 toppled the 1981 mark by nearly three seconds.

"I was swimming kind of fast," Austin said in the understatement of the day.

The now 13-year-old (he was 12 at the June 14 registration cutoff) credits his breathing techniques and a Mohawk he wears under his cap. His father was OK with it, his mother needed some reassurance. His hair used to be green, but

water has long-since washed away Chippewa's color.

Gillen's record time of 58.60 came in the girls 100 freestyle. The old mark set in 1998 by Huron Valley's Melissa Jaeger was 58.61. She later won the 50 breaststroke.

"I knew I was moving, but there was no way I was moving that fast," Gillen said. "I was just trying to watch who was around me."

A final day of warm sunshine brought out many multiple wins. John Gorine of Orchard Hills Athletic Club won the 200 freestyle, 50 backstroke and was part of the winning 200 medley relay with Michael

Toner, Dylan Wood and Dillon Pearce. Chippewa came in

second by less than one-third of a second.

Milan Swim Club's Maura Donahue took top honors in the 100 IM and 50 freestyle. She

also teamed with Tiffany Stacy, Katie Snell and Allie Merritt to win the 200 medley relay. The same foursome also won the 200 freestyle relay.

"I knew we had a chance for a big day," Donahue said.

The largest ovation came at the end, when the coaches hit the pool for their 200 freestyle relay. Georgetown prevailed in the final race in 1:29.42.

In the 9-10 diving at Chippewa Tennis and Swim Club, Tyler Leach from Huron Valley took top honors for the boys with 86.90 points, three more than teammate Nate Kilian. James Borque of Racquet Club finished third.

Annie Tamblyn totaled an

impressive 97.75 in winning the girls title. Maia Bolhuis came in second with 91.45, while Jennifer Roberts was third at 86.45.

No matter the scores, it's still about fun for the swimmers.

"I get to hang out with friends and I know all the kids on the team," Austin said. "It's a break from the hard stuff and more laid back."

Mark Heller can be reached at mheller@annarbornews.com or (734) 994-6812.

© 2004 Ann Arbor News. Used with permission

Chippewa pair pick up victories

Fisher, Gillen among day's double winners

Wednesday, July 28, 2004
BY MARK HELLER
News Sports Reporter

Kelton Graham swears 10-year-old Jamie Fisher hates to lose. Then Graham offered a prediction during Tuesday's 100-yard individual medley with the utmost confidence.

"If he's ahead by the last turn," said Graham, Fisher's coach at Chippewa Pirhanas swimming and diving club, "he'll win."

Sure enough, Fisher pulled ahead, then pulled away. He later swam on the winning 200 medley relay during day two of the Washtenaw Interclub Swimming and Diving Championships. Chippewa is holding in third place overall with 978 points. Huron Valley Swim Club (2,131.5) remains on pace to win its 29th consecutive title. Milan Swim Club (1,354 points) has a strong hold on second place, with Ann Arbor Country Club (904.5) and Racquet Club of Ann Arbor (893) jostling for fourth place.

Fisher's teammate and best friend Jack Gillen joined in the fun, winning the 50 breaststroke and 50 butterfly.

The two hang out together constantly since they're neighbors. On Tuesday they were on their best behavior with parents and coaches around. But like most 10-year-olds, the fun part comes when no one is watching.

Fisher and Gillen spend about two hours a day each weekday working on their swimming stroke at Chippewa. The rest of their summer is spent running around and into walls, causing a raucous.

Fisher, for instance, was at a water park at Disney World. He walked into the water and kept going until only his hand was above the surface. He waved it around until someone came to "rescue" him.

And let's not forget the multiple ankle twists, sprains and a few broken bones.

"We like to make others laugh," Gillen said. "Usually it works."

Chippewa's Katie Austin won both the 50 and 100 freestyles for the girls squad. The Racquet Club's 200 freestyle relay team of Maia Bolhuis, Annie Tamblyn, Sarabeth Spaid and Elizabeth Gelb took top honors in the 200 freestyle relay. Gelb also won the 50 butterfly, while Anna Demonte won the 50 backstroke and finished third in the freestyle and 100 medley relay. Shana Cooper took first in the 50 breaststroke for Travis Pointe

Thomas Jahnke of Racquet Club of Ann Arbor and Taylor Ford from Travis Pointe were the top 11-12 boys and girls' divers, respectively.

Jahnke's score of 128.15 was good enough by 0.15 points over fellow Racquet Club member Jeff Camalo. Ford and teammate Emily Milligan took the top two spots, with Meghan Woods coming in third for

Orchard Hills Athletic Club.

Mark Heller can be reached at mheller@annarbornews.com or (734) 994-6812.

© 2004 Ann Arbor News. Used with permission

In the News

Social aspect is big part of the team's appeal