October Swimmer of the Month

Lucas Billington (GREEN Breakers)

Lucas is a competitive swimmer who loves swimming fast. During practice he is constantly striving to lead the lane, and do his best to improve his strokes. "The most challenging part is when you learn new strokes," says Lucas when asked about the sport of swimming. He enjoys coming to practice and working with the coaches. During practice he has shown himself to be a very hard worker, and has done well to improve his strokes, and make good technique a consistent habit. His goal for the year is to become the best in his group, and one day his age group. Outside of swimming Lucas enjoys football, playing in his yard, and eating his dad's steak (because it's healthy and delicious!). If Lucas won the lottery he would buy himself a pool, and if he could be any animal, he would be a bird so he could fly. He is very proud of his latest accomplishment: placing in the top 30 for his 5k run. Congrats Lucas!! Keep up the good work!

Caroline Maller (BLUE Surfers)

Caroline Maller has been with us for a long while, and is a long time Sunday Surfer. She never fails to put in a great effort in practice, and knows that when she’s there, it’s time to focus on doing her best in the water. Her favorite event is breaststroke, as she always does great in that event at meets. In preparation for those races, she is sure to eat plenty of pasta, get plenty of sleep, and get herself pumped up and positive! When asked what she feels is the most challenging part about being a swimmer, she responds “All of the early morning practices and hard practices!” Caroline is a devoted summer swimmer, and a devoted Blue Wave. Her goals for this year are to cut time in her events. How will she do this? By working really hard! Caroline loves being on Blue Waves because it’s a lot of fun, and she gets plenty of help with her technique. It’s always good to stay in the water! Some things we might not know about Caroline is that she is in dance multiple days a week along with swimming, she LOVES pasta, and if she were an animal she would be a dolphin! Why? “Because they can breathe underwater and do a bunch of flips!” When she isn’t swimming, Caroline is an avid dancer, she helps out with community service, and she plays the piano. She is very proud of keeping good grades in school, and getting selected to be a summer swim intern! It is very exciting whenever you can accomplish furthering your future in a sport. Caroline is a great worker, and is always excited to be at practice. Her dedication and mental toughness are great, and we are happy to have her as swimmer of the month! Congrats Caroline!

Kate Turner (GREEN Crest 2)

Kate Turner is the newest member of the Green Crest 2 squad, and for good reason. She has shown great improvement in her strokes, and at practice she is great at focusing and working hard at developing better technique. We got to get some important questions answered about Kate. When asked what her favorite meet has been she said “My favorite swim meet so far has been the Snow Pumpkin Invitational because it was my very first and only meet with Blue Wave! I was really excited to swim in my first meet.” And the excitement has only continued! Her favorite event to swim is the Individual Medley “because you get to do every stroke, and plus my two best strokes are at the end.” Bringing it home fast! It is always good to be prepared for swim meets too. “To get ready for a meet, of course, you need to get to bed on time the night before. But I always have an energizing smoothie in the morning and a healthy breakfast and/or lunch.” Great advice Kate! I will have to start having more smoothies! Some things we might not know about Kate: her favorite food is cookies. Give her any kind, any flavor, she is a real cookie monster! If she won the lottery, she would first set aside some money for herself, then donate the rest to charities such as the Make A Wish Foundation. “A girl recently died of brain cancer. Last year, my school worked hard to donate to the Make A Wish Foundation so she could have her dream of going to Paris before it was too late.” Thank you Kate, for giving us a great example of how we need to treasure the important things in life. Do you have any goals yourself? “One of the goals I have for the year is to be able to do my backstroke better and faster. When I was younger, it was my best stroke, and now that I’m older, it’s my worst. I want to turn that around though, and I think this year I’m going to be able to from all the practice and corrections I’ve had so far.” So what do you like about being on Blue Waves? “What I like most about Blue Wave is that it’s not only about the swimming, it’s also about the attitude. Every week the wall of wisdom has something about your mind and how that makes you a better swimmer. Blue Wave is good because the focus on improving both your physical goals and your mental goals.” She has tried every sport there is out here, and Kate has decided that swimming is the sport for her. What is the most challenging part about being a swimmer? “Swimming is both a team sport and an individual sport. You are trying to beat your own times and place high for both you and your team at the same time. It’s challenging, but it’s also one of the best things about being a swimmer.” Kate is a great worker, and has one of the best mental attitudes on the team. She is very proud to say that she’s stayed focused on balancing her swimming and her school work. “I’ve always been a pretty good student, but this year and last year things got a little tougher. I’m glad though, because I still keep it together and keep my grades up.” Congrats Kate! You have very deservedly earned swimmer of the month! One last question: If you were an animal, what would you be and why? “I would be a fox, so I could tell everyone what a fox really says.” 

September Swimmer of the Month

Grace McOmber (GREEN Tide)

Grace McOmber is a newbie to the team, and is quickly becoming a known face on the Green Tide squad. She loves breaststroke, and would swim it all day if you let her! She loves the 100 and 200 breaststroke, and every now and then she likes to swim the 100 free because she loves to sprint. Though her time with us has been short, she has made a big impact! At the SNOW Pumpkin invite she was excited to see how her times are improving, and the hard work she has been putting in at practice is paying off. When asked what is the most challenging part about being a swimmer she said “The most challenging part is setting goals and not being upset, but motivated if I don’t reach them immediately.” Her big goal for this year: to make an A time in the 100 breaststroke. “I plan to do this by perfecting my stroke and working hard at practice.” She enjoys hanging out with her teammates (who equally love hanging out with her), and says she really enjoys the support she has gotten in making her feel welcome. When asked about her secret past, Grace told us that she once swam against an Olympian! Well Grace, which one?? Her favorite food is tacos, she loves reading, drawing, watching movies, and if she won the lottery she would save some of it to buy a really cool house and give some to charity. Outside of swimming, Grace is proud to say she has gotten all A's, and if she were an animal, she would be a dolphin! We thought she would say frog since her breaststroke is so amazing, but dolphins are the brains of the ocean! Congratulations Grace on earning swimmer of the month! Keep up the good work!

Jackson Baker (TYPHOONS 1)

 

Jackson Baker will tell you he doesn't like swimming breaststroke. But every day in practice his actions say differently. He says he loves the 50 freestyle, but his favorite meet thus far has been the Pumpkin Ivitational, because he swam his first 50 breaststroke there. When asked what the most challenging part about being a swimmer is, he pipes right up and says "Going to practice. I like the swim meets, but don't really like practice." But like a smart swimmer, he knows that the only way to get better at meets is to prepare for them during practice. He likes coming to Blue Waves because his friends are on the team, he loves to swim his favorite stroke (freestyle of course), and he loves the shirts! I think most of us can agree with you there Jackson. One of his goals for this year is to swim the 25 butterfly, and to do that he's got to keep practicing his butterfly. It's a tough stroke man, we will continue to cheer you on to your goal! Beside swimming, Jackson's favorite food is chicken nuggets, he plays football and lacrosse, and he even made a touchdown in football! Congrats Jackson! When asked what he would do if he won the lottery, he says he would "Buy all the toys in the world!" That is a lot of toys man. If he was an animal, he would be a cheetah because they are fast. And something interesting we might not know about Jackson is that he likes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Well Jackson, we wish you the best of luck with this season, and congrats on achieving Swimmer of the Month! As Michelangelo would say, Cowabunga Dude!!

May Swimmers of the Month

Maria Stalcup (TYPHOONS)

One of our young typhoon swimmers, Maria Stalcup is known as a whirlwind of encouraging energy that is very infections! We were able to get a little insight into this Swimmer of the Month. Her favorite meet from this past year was the Reindeer Mini meet. Why? Because she won a lot of heats! Who doesn't love a good race? Her favorite strokes are backstroke and IM, because she's good at the IM, and she likes breathing a lot. When we asked her for advice on how to get ready for a meet, she to be sure and stretch, get a good breakfast, and hydrate! As a part of Blue Wave, Maria has said that the most challenging part is going to practice right after school, but she also says that she loves challenges, and loves to have fun! Her goals for this year is to swim more than 200 laps a year, do her best to be fast, and also to be her best! We will all be taking a lesson from you Maria on that! Some interesting facts about Maria: She LOVES pasta and butter, she plays soccer, does art, and she has five older brothers; one if which is married! And if she won the lottery, she would donate the money to charity. Oh yeah, and she reads 1,000 pages for her summer reading! And when asked what animal she would be, she said she would be "A bald eagle, because everyone trusts in me, I'm fast, I'm endangered, and I have a large next to lay all my baby eagles." Ever the symbol of encouragement, Maria has worked very hard, and is a very deserving swimmer of the month! Congrats Maria!!

Eric Nguyen (GREEN Crest)

Eric Nguyen, though quite the chatter-bug, really doesn't like bugs. Luckily, there are no bugs in the water, so he is always happy to swim fast! Consistently one of the first people at practice, Eric's goal for this year is to make it to Green Crest 2 by working hard. His favorite meet this year was the Reindeer Mini-Meet. When asked why, he told us because they sold reindeers. When you get your sleigh up and going Eric, let me know, because I would love to hitch a ride to practice one day! Coming to Blue Waves, Eric says his favorite part of practice is the dryland, and his favorite event this year was the swim-a-thon. To prepare for meets, he eats, to make sure his body is properly fueled, and he treats himself to his favorite food, pizza, when he can. While he's not in the water, Eric loves art! A creative thinker, he enjoys art, dreams of flying like a bird, and last year he won an art award at school! Congrats Eric! Ever the free spirit, he is great fun at practice, and has worked hard to perfect his favorite stroke, breaststroke. Keep up the good work Eric! Shoot for the stars!

April Swimmers of the Month

Ashley Gregory (TYPHOONS)

Ashley Gregory always come to practice with two things: A cool cap, and a big smile! She loves, loves, loves the IM! She loves swimming all the strokes, and has lots of fun doing interval training at practice. Meets are her favorite part of Blue Waves! The racing, the cheering, the healthy snacks, and being part of the team. Her favorite food is chicken-cordon-bleu. Fancy stuff Ashley! Sounds delicious! Ashley is active and full of energy! She has run in a 5k race before in just 25 minutes! This breaststroke loving lady must have been flying! She says the first thing she will do when she wins the lottery is do TEN TRIATHLONS! That would be incredible Ashley! Keep coming to practice and get prepared for that! She loves playing soccer with her big sister too, which is good conditioning for all those triathlons. The last time she did a triathlon, she won first place in running! This little lady may have winged feet, but she says if she was an animal, she would be a dolphin because they swim really fast and scare away all the sharks! When this running, swimming, biking young lady comes to practice, smiling and ready, it always is a pleasure for everyone! Keep working hard Ashley! Your work ethic is contagious, and your attitude worth catching!

 

Kristen Myers (GREEN Crest 2)

Kristen Myers of the Green Crest squad has worked hard to earn her win as swimmer of the month! A driven swimmer, she is always pushing herself to work harder. She says the most challenging part of being a swimmer is trying to push yourself harder, even when you're tired. The old saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" is one that Kristen follows a lot. Her favorite meet from this past year was the Spring Champs meet, where she achieved a B-time in the 100 backstroke. Her favorite events to swim are the 100 back, the 200 free, and the 500 free. Kristen says she pushes herself harder during those races. Before a meet Kristen likes to listen to music and stretch, and I'll bet she also eats her favorite food: apples! Her goal for this upcoming year is to focus on getting her strokes better by working hard in practice. Besides working hard in the pool, Kristen likes to run, bike, read, and have fun with her friends. If she won the lottery, she would give some money to charity, and put the rest in her college fund. Smart girl! Planning to work hard in the future! Some things we might not know about Kristen: If she was an animal, she would be a dolphin! Then she could play in the ocean all she wanted. Another fun fact: Kristen was born in Kodiak Alaska! K for Kristen, K for Kodiak! And she achieved the highest hits on her softball team. Congrats Kristen! Keep up the good work!

March Swimmers of the Month

Caroline Haines (RIP Tide)

Caroline exemplifies much of what Blue Wave is all about: A driving passion to become a better swimmer and person, dedicated to improving herself and her technique, and being a positive role model to everyone around her. This season has been a stellar one for this star! We got to sit down and talk with this young lady and ask her some questions. Her favorite meet this year has been PVS SC Junior Champs, where she went all best times allowing her to achieve GOLD Level in CLUB TSUNAMI. The experience was loads of fun due mainly to her teammates. In preparation for meets she always has pasta the night before, probably with a side of her favorite food: blueberry applesauce (yum!). As she says, the hardest part of swimming is the schedule and the grueling training, but the rewards are well worth it! "Everyone is so friendly and nice. The coaches are great. I get to have close friends and do what I love at the same time." Her big goal for this year is to make Sectionals. She plans on achieving this by staying focused during training, and to keep herself on track with this plan by setting little goals along the way. Something you may not know about our Caroline is that one day she wants to tour Europe! And, if she wins the lottery, she will buy a horse to go on tour with her. In her spare time she scrapbooks, reads, and listens to music. "I am proud of doing well in school," she says with a smile. Caroline is a great example of someone who works hard to achieve their goals, and dedicates themselves to being the best they can be!

Tatum Wall (TYPHOON 2)

In the short time since the calendar turned to 2013, Tatum has been on a mission to be one of the greatest Typhoons the teams has ever seen! During the Swim-a-thon she was one of the two Typhoons to make it to 5000 meters, and during 18 & Under Champs she is happy to say she earned all her B times! Her goal is to soon be moved up into the Green Crest squad, and continue being awesome in her favorite event, the IM! When asked about the best way to prepare for a meet, she recommends getting a good night's sleep and eating a good breakfast. "Staying focused and paying attention at all times" is the hardest part of swimming she says, and that's the gospel truth coming from someone who rocked the waters this month. When not swimming, Tatum is eating her favorite foods of chicken and pasta, playing volleyball, going horseback riding, and doing well in school. Little known fact: Her middle name is Elise! And finally, when asked what she would do if she won the lottery, she said "Smile and jump and down." Well Tatum Elise, that is exactly what I would do too! You go girl!

 

 

 

Nick Kost (RIP Tide)

'Big Red' is a blast and a half of talent and awesomeness. He has proven himself a great leader, and even though his biggest problems with swimming is the constant hunger pains and want of more sleep, he wouldn't trade it for the world. His favorite meet this year was the travel meet, where he says he enjoyed focusing on swimming without parents around. His favorite events are the 400 IM, the 200 IM, and the 100 free, because he likes variety and the 100 free is not too short, not too long, but juuuust right. To prep for big meets like Champs, Nick recommends food and sleep in healthy and abundant quantities. When asked about Blue Waves, Nick says he really enjoys the team unity, and he is glad to have coaches know what they're doing. His goal for the summer is to beat the 400 IM long course record. "How?" I asked, "Easy, I train with the record holder." To that I say best of luck Nick! When not swimming, Nick is sleeping, watching TV, and eating his favorite food, bacon cheeseburgers with onion straws. Yum! And finally, when asked what he would do if he won the lottery, he says he will use half to buy a lot of stocks, then buy a better imagination. As he is graduating from high school very soon, and going to Penn-State Erie, the Behrend College, I would have thought he would put the money toward schooling. Even so, we wish him the best of luck with his choice, and we are all proud to have Nick as a Swimmer-Of-The-Month!

Meredith Scarboro (GREEN Crest)

This talented starfish has worked hard this month, improving her technique, showing up to practice, and listening with a smile! When we asked this clever young lady what her favorite parts of Blue Waves has been, she told us "I liked the November Open meet, because I knew I had times to beat." Part of swimming is setting goals for yourself and working to achieve those goals. Meredith has definitely worked hard to achieve her goals! "I like the 100 freestyle because it's not too hard or too easy," so she says. "So what should I do to prepare for a meet?" I ask. "Get a good night's sleep." Excellent answer. Meredith likes Blue Waves because the coaches push her to work hard so she can achieve her goal of making JO's. The most challenging part of swimming? "You can't stop when you're tired," Meredith answers. How very true! When the going gets tough, the tough get going! So Meredith, what else besides swimming do you love? "I like to sing, and my favorite food is pizza." A little known fact about Meredith: she gets cold easily! So better watch out when Coach Gabe is looking for someone to dump his cold water on! If Meredith won the lottery, what would she do? "Go shopping!" I would probably do the same thing! Congratulations Meredith on working so hard this season! Keep up the good work!

February Swimmers of the Month

Tayla Byars (TYPHOON 1)

Tayla was chosen as a swimmer of the month for February because she has been improving so much this season!  Her stroke technique keeps getting better, and she has been putting in a lot of effort at practices.  Her attendance is wonderful as well!  Her favorite meet so far this year was the Polar Pentathlon, because she swam all the strokes plus 100 IM!  Her favorite event is butterfly, because she loves that stroke the best!  To get ready for a meet she makes sure to get a good nights sleep, and make sure her bag is packed.  The most challenging part for her about being a swimmer is sometimes the coaches can be tough on you.  Some things she likes best about being on BWST is having her friends, and doing swim meets.  One of Tayla’s goals for the year is to move into TY2.  To achieve this she plans to work hard and listen to her coaches.  Something her BWST teammates might not know about her is that she also plays soccer and likes to play outside.  Her favorite food is pizza!  If she won the lottery, the first thing she would do would be to buy lots of dolls and her own dog.  When she’s not swimming, Tayla likes to play soccer, read, and play with her friends.  Great job Tayla!

 

Briana Arroyo (GREEN Crest 1)

Briana was chosen as a swimmer of the month for February because she is a very hard worker with a great and fun attitude!  Briana has made a lot of progress this season, thanks to her dedication and love of swimming.  She listens well to her coaches and puts forth a lot of effort.  Her favorite meet so far was the Turkey Claus meet, because it was at Univ. of MD and the facility is so large and nice, and because she swam her favorite events and got best times.  Her favorite events are the 50 breast, 100 breast, and 50 fly because she has improved her times in each stroke this year and achieved BB times in both strokes.  Briana has many things she does to get ready for a swim meet, including; eating a good dinner the night before, getting plenty of rest, putting together her stuff and her bag, waking up early enough to eat breakfast, bring healthy energizing snacks to the meet, bring plenty of water, and putting forth 100% effort in all her events.  The most challenging part about being a swimmer for Briana is swimming longer distances and trying to get faster times at every meet!  Some things she likes best about being on BWST is having great coaches who correct her strokes, and having encouraging and supportive teammates and friends.  One of her goals for the year is to get an A time in each stroke.  She will achieve this by working hard, staying focused, getting enough rest and always giving 100%.  Something her BWST teammates might not know about her is that this is her first season with BW.  Also she loves gymnastics and she and her sister are super flexible!  Her favorite food is any kind of seafood!  If she won the lottery the first thing she would do would be to pay for her college education, then buy a house.  She would give the rest to different charities and organizations that work with people in need/sick, and fund cancer research.  Some activities that she likes to do are gymnastics, riding her bike, cooking and baking.  Something that she is the most proud of outside of swimming is that she is getting great grades and has perfect attendance at school.  Awesome job Briana!

 

Fionn Desmond (GREEN Crest 2)

Fionn was chosen as a swimmer of the month because he has been doing a great job this season, making improvements with his strokes, and really listening to feedback from his coaches.  He has a great attitude and attendance as well!  He’s also shown his coaches his love for swimming.  Fionn’s favorite meet so far was JO’s from a few years ago.  This was his favorite because he liked the feeling of accomplishment of making it there.  His favorite events are 100 back, 50 free, and 100 free because he likes to sprint the whole time.  To get ready for a meet he likes to listen to music and stretch.  The most challenging thing for him about being a swimmer is the commitment.  If you miss one practice, a lot of skills can be lost, and going to practice even when you don’t feel like it shows character.   A few things he likes about being on BWST is the team and his friends.  He has a lot of friends on the team and they like to motivate each other to get better.  One of his goals for the season is to cream his old times.  If he is dedicated and try his hardest at practice he can achieve this.  Something Fionn’s BW teammates might not know about him is that apart from swimming, sailing is his favorite sport. His favorite food is cheeseburgers and milkshakes!  If he won the lottery the first thing he would do would be to put the money somewhere safe.  When he’s not swimming he likes to play outside and hang out with his friends.  He also likes to play video games and listen to music.  Keep working hard Fionn!

January Swimmers of the Month

Bryce Ward (TYPHOON 1)

Bryce was chosen as a swimmer of the month because the coaches are very happy with all the progress he has made this season!  His strokes have made major improvements, and he is more focused at practices and meets.  He has a fun attitude as well!  Bryce’s favorite meet was the Polar Pentathlon on Feb 3 because he did his first IM.  The IM is his favorite event because you get to swim all the strokes.  To get ready for a meet he makes sure to get his things together the night before, has a good dinner and a good nights sleep.  For Bryce, the most challenging part of being a swimmer is learning the new things that you have never done before.  Two things he likes about being on BWST is getting to see his coaches and learning new strokes.  One of his lifelong goals is to break Michael Phelps records!  He will have to work really hard to achieve this!  Something his BWST teammates might not know about him is that he always wins the snowman contest they have at school.  Bryce’s favorite food is cereal.  If he won the lottery the first thing he would do would be to put a pool in his backyard.  When he’s not swimming Bryce likes to play outside.  One accomplishment that he’s most proud of is swimming his first IM.  Way to go Bryce!

Jacob Kane (GREEN Crest 2)

Jake was chosen as a swimmer of the month, because while he likes to have fun at practice, he also knows how to work hard.  He has been making a lot of improvements this season and has learned how to focus and swim fast while still having fun!  Jake’s favorite meet this year so far was the Turkey Clause meet at University of MD, because he really liked that pool and facility.  Jake’s favorite events to swim are the breaststroke events, because that is his favorite and best stroke.  To get ready for a meet he listens to music on his IPod; a special playlist that gets him pumped up.  The most challenging thing for Jake about being a swimmer is being able to push yourself extra hard in practice.  One thing he likes about being on BWST is that the coaches work on strokes and technique mostly in practice, not just speed.  One of his goals for the year is to get a BB time, and he will practice hard to achieve this.  Something Jake's BWST teammates might not know about him is that he loves to play lacrosse!  His favorite food is donuts.  If he won the lottery, the first thing he would do would be to buy a Lamborghini!  When he’s not swimming Jake likes to play lacrosse.  One accomplishment he is most proud of outside of swimming is winning his basketball championship.  Awesome job Jake!

Kari Allen (BLUE Crest)

Kari was chosen as a swimmer of the month because she has shown a lot of focus and improvement these last few months!  Kari has been working hard and now has several Junior Olympic cut times to show for it!  Kari’s favorite meet so far was the IMX Challenge meet because she got 3 JO cuts there and all best times, several new time standards (A and AA) and got silver level for Club Tsunami.  Her favorite event to swim is IM, because it’s fun.  To get ready for a meet Kari likes to listen to music and drink a lot of water.  The most challenging thing for Kari about being a swimmer is going to so many practices!  One thing she really likes about being on BWST are the people on the team.  One of her goals for the season is to make Zones, and she will achieve this by working toward her goal times in practice.  Something her BWST teammates might not know about her is that she plays the saxophone.  Her favorite food is tacos.  If she won the lottery, the first thing she would do would be to buy a knee skin.  When she’s not swimming, Kari likes to listen to music, and the accomplishment she is most proud of outside of swimming is getting straight A’s in school.  Keep up the good work Kari!

December Swimmers of the Month

Ava Gordon (TYPHOON 2)

Ava was chosen as a swimmer of the month because she has shown great improvement since last season!  She has great technique and coaches often use her to demonstrate in the water.  She also listens very well in practice and puts forth a lot of effort.  She also recently moved into TY2!  Ava’s favorite meet this year has been the Reindeer Mini meet in December, because you won a swim cap if you were a heat winner.  Her favorite events are the breaststroke events, because she is fast in breaststroke!  To get ready for a swim meet, Ava makes sure to get plenty of rest so that she is ready to go fast.  One of the most challenging things for her about being a swimmer is doing all the strokes correctly right from the beginning.  One thing she likes about being on BWST is that the coaches make you work hard!  One of her goals for this season is to get “B” time standards, and she will achieve this by working harder in practice.  Something you may not know about Ava is that she swims year round – fall, winter and spring with BWST, and summer with her summer league team!  Her favorite foods are chocolate and apples.  If she won the lottery the first thing she would do would be to go to the Olympics to watch the swimming!  When she’s not swimming, Ava likes to play tennis, and she is very proud of her tennis accomplishments.  Great job Ava!

Casey Rho (BLUE Crest)

Casey was chosen as a swimmer of the month because of all the hard work she has done this season!  Her coaches could see early on this season that she had made many improvements and had the effort and drive to move up into a higher squad.  She also has a great attitude and knows how to push and challenge herself.  Casey also made it to the Tom Dolan championship meet this year.  Casey’s favorite meet so far was last years' JO’s in March because it is a challenging and exciting meet.  Hopefully she will make it to this year’s JO’s, as that is one of her goals!  Her favorite events are the butterfly events because that is her favorite stroke.  To get ready for a meet Casey likes to eat well, get to sleep early the night before, and do some stretching.  She gets a little nervous before meets so she likes to think about her goals and how to achieve them.  To Casey, the most challenging thing about being a swimmer is making championship qualifying times.  Some things she likes about being on BWST is that there are nice coaches and fun activities in practice.  The practices help you to swim faster in meets, even though they are sometimes hard!  Something Casey’s BWST teammates might not know about her is that she volunteers at the Loudoun County Animal Shelter and loves horseback riding and drawing animations.  Her favorite foods are spaghetti with meatballs, mac & cheese, ice cream and pizza.  If she won the lottery, the first thing she would do would be to own various pets likes dogs, horses, guinea pigs, bunnies and sugar bears.  When Casey isn’t swimming she likes to go horseback riding, play badminton, go bike riding and play piano.  An achievement she is most proud of outside of swimming is that she received a trophy from a piano festival!  Way to go Casey!

Megan Marshall (GREEN Tide)

Megan was chosen as a swimmer of the month because of the great work she has been doing this season.  Megan has shown the coaches that she can do everything now (all strokes and distances), and she has the confidence to do it!  She has a great attitude and always puts forth a lot of effort.  Megan’s favorite meet this season was Turkey Claus, because she did pretty well and had a lot of fun with her friends.  Her favorite events to swim are the backstroke events, because that is her favorite stroke.  To get ready for a meet, Megan makes sure to get plenty of sleep and eat a good dinner the night before.  The most challenging part about being a swimmer for her is making sure you are doing the stroke correctly, and not just moving your arms fast.  Some things that she likes about being on BWST are the coaches and her friends.  The coaches are nice and give them hard practices, which makes them faster.  One of her goals for the season is to make it to Long Course Age Group Champs this summer in at least two events, and she plans on practicing extra hard to achieve this.  Something her teammates might not know about Megan is that she takes Latin as her language in school.  Her favorite food is pizza.  If she won the lottery the first thing Megan would do would be to travel to Europe!  When she’s not swimming Megan likes to read and hang out with her friends.  One accomplishment outside of swimming that she is most proud of is getting good grades in school.  Awesome job Megan!