Holly was chosen as the June swimmer of the month for the 12 & under age group because we have been seeing Holly work very hard in practice recently and have seen her improve. She is also very positive during practices and listens to advice from her coaches. Holly's favorite swim meet this year was the travel meet to Virginia Tech because she was able to hang out with her friends in the van and the hotel. She also made her first BB time there! Her favorite events to swim are the 50, 100, and 200 Freestyle, plus relays. Hopefully next year Holly will add some longer distance Free events to that list! At practice she enjoys doing a longer warmup, such as a 300 free, so that she can work on her turns. Holly's favorite thing about being on BWST is that she gets to swim with her friends, which makes it more fun. She also enjoys going to practices and meets so that she and her friends can spend more time together. To get ready for those fun meets, Holly likes to eat her favorite meal (butter noodles) the night before, get a good night sleep, and have a healthy breakfast in the morning. This helps her have plenty of energy for her races! One of Holly's goals for this year is to get her first A time. She'll be moving up to a new age group (11-12) so she wants to get B and BB standards, but the A time is the goal! Holly feels like she has been influenced by her parents and coaches, and her advice for her teammates is to have fun. If you have fun (and stay positive) you will do well! If she were stranded on a desert island she would want to have her brother with her, her Ipod, and her favorite pink blanket. When Holly is not swimming she likes to read, listen to her music, and hang out with her neighborhood friends. Great job Holly!
Amber Kerico (summer level 5):
Even though Amber just joined our team in May, we love having her as a BWST member. Amber was chosen as the June swimmer of the month for the 13 & over age group because she has shown so much hard work and dedication already. Amber knows what it takes to be a great swimmer and is willing to work hard to achieve her goals. Even though she wasn't with BW at the time, Amber's favorite meet was Sectionals in 2008 in Indianapolis. She loved that meet because there were so many amazing swimmers, and she felt motivated to do her best. Her favorite events to swim are the 100 and 200 Breaststroke, but she has also really started to enjoy the 200 IM because of the variety. At practice, Amber enjoys doing the sets that involve broken 400 IMs because she likes being able to sprint and really push herself. One of her favorite things about being on BWST is that we do things as a team, both in the water and out of the water. To get ready for a big meet, Amber does several things. She makes sure to get a good nights sleep the night before and eat a good breakfast in the morning, she stretches and listens to music, she eats healthy foods, and she has watched Olympic swimmers race on film, to stay motivated. One of her goals for this upcoming year is to make Junior Nationals . Amber's advice for her teammates is "when you are in a slump, work hard to overcome it. Don't get down on yourself and give up; work past it and do anything you can to get better. When you have an opportunity to do better, jump at the chance!" Amber feels like she has been influenced by her parents who have been supportive of her and her coaches along the way who have motivated her. If she were stranded on a desert island, she would want to have her Ipod, her pillow, and her goggles. When Amber is not swimming she likes to take scenic runs to relax. Way to go Amber!
