December 2013 Swimmer of the Month

 

Katie Winklosky (BLUE Crest)

Katie Winklosky has been with Blue Waves for many seasons, and is not only driven and hardworking, but also competitive and a great friend to her teammates. This season she has worked hard to improve not only her favorite strokes, but her not-so-favorite strokes as well. Her favorite events are the 50 fly, the 50 free, and the 200 fly. She is a strong butterflyer, and enjoys swimming the 200 because “Not many people swim it.” Her favorite meet this season was the Tom Dolan Invitational because it was the last meet before she aged up. When asked what the most challenging part of being a swimmer is, she told us “Having practice on Friday nights.” That can be rough, but you do what it takes to accomplish your goals! Katie’s goal for this year is to make it JO’s in more than two events, and to practice hard. While not in the water, Katie is an active athlete who plays soccer, and even volunteered at an Ironman last October! She is also very proud of scoring two goals in one soccer game! Katie enjoys being on Blue Waves because she has plenty of friends on the team. Her favorite food is pizza, and before meets she makes sure to eat plenty of mac-n-cheese. If Katie won the lottery, she would go to the Turks and Caicos Islands with her family and friends. While Katie is there, she will envision herself as a dolphin, because they’re pretty, they swim, and not many animals eat them. Katie has had an amazing season, and has put in the effort and focus to be very successful come Champs! Best of luck Katie!

 

 

Maddie Urick (Typhoons 1)

Maddie Urick is one of our new swimmers, and one of the most focused young swimmers. She has been working very hard to perfect all her strokes, even her weaker ones, and even her turns have improved plenty! Her favorite meet this year was her first meet, the developmental dual meet, because she got to swim all the strokes. She consistently works on doing all the strokes correctly, so all her coaches believe she has a super power: laser-like focus, and smiling! She has even stated that her favorite event is the IM, because she loves swimming all the strokes! To prepare for her meets she wakes up early and gets plenty to eat. For Maddie, the most challenging part of being a swimmer is not being in the water and doing dryland. That right there, is the heart of a true swimmer. She loves swimming with her friends, and her goals for this year are to swim faster and work hard in practice. Keep giving 100% Maddie! Fun facts about Maddie: She also loves gymnastics, and has lived in New Mexico, and Australia!

 

Alex Wu (Typhoons 2)

Alex Wu must be part fish. When he gets in the water, people better watch out, or they may get knocked around by his wake! Always up for a good race, Alex’s favorite stroke is butterfly! He even swims butterfly when the coaches tell everyone to swim easy. That is dedication to perfecting your stroke! To prepare for competition, Alex works hard in practice, gets plenty of rest the night before, and avoids all junk food. As a swimmer, sometimes we have hard days of practice. Not Alex. It may be challenging sometimes, but he says “I enjoy swimming,” he doesn’t feel like being challenged is a bad thing. Keep enjoying swimming Alex! Some of his favorite parts about being on Blue Waves is the “Coaches are so nice, and [it] is a really fun experience!” His big goals for the year are to perfect his flip turn, and get under 1 minute and 30 seconds in his 100 Individual Medley. Outside the pool, Alex likes to play football, play piano, play soccer, and he is very proud of his grades in school. If he won the lottery, he would buy a mansion and help as many poor people as he can. And, if he was an animal, he would be a whale, “because it can swim very well.” Final question Alex: Do you speak whale? Gggooooooood Luuuuuuuck Aaaaaaaaalex!

January 2014 Swimmer of the Month

 

Nico Burbano (BLUE Tide)

 Nico has done very well this season, hitting his stride and really working on pushing himself to new heights of swimming. He has set goals for himself under the belief that there certainly are, no limits to what one can achieve if they are determined enough. He is working on achieving AAA times in his freestyle events, and qualify for some bigger championship meets. His favorite events to swim are the 100 and 200 freestyle, “because they are very high-energy and exciting. They always get my heart pumping!” Nico is a very driven swimmer, and doesn’t let negativity get to him. He’s fun to be around in practice, and everyone agrees, he makes the funniest/weirdest faces on the team. His favorite meet this season was the IMX meet, “because it was very serious and I swam really challenging events.” A great part about swimming is that it challenges swimmers to not set limits on themselves, and that challenges are placed there for them to overcome. They may seem impossible sometimes, but that is only in the swimmer’s mind. Nico says the most challenging part of swimming isn’t really in the pool, it’s “the lack of sleep due to morning practice and homework.” Well Nico, the challenges in the pool are only going to help you overcome those challenges out of the pool! Keep working hard! Prior to his big meets, Nico goes to bed early and eats a healthy breakfast. He enjoys being a part of Blue Wave because we are a smaller team, and “everyone on the team bonds and becomes one big family.” That is awesome Nico! So, what are some things the Blue Wave family may not know about you? “I received a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and I used to be very committed to that sport.” Well, we greatly appreciate you committing to the team Nico! What is your favorite food? “Definitely 5-Cheese Ziti.” Yummmmm. What would you do if you won the lottery? “Visit Europe then put the rest of the money in my savings account.” Smart man. What do you do when you’re not swimming? “I love to play guitar and listen to music.” Something else we might not know about Nico, he was accepted into the All-Virginia State Honor Choir. And, if he was an animal, he would be “A cat, because I consider myself very independent and I like to sleep.” Well that sounds purrrrfect Nico! Best of luck at practice, and congrats on being Swimmer of the Month!

 

Dana Korotovskikh (GREEN Tide)

D for determination, A for attitude, N for never give up, and another A for awesome because Dana is the kind of swimmer every coach and teammates wants to have. She is someone that can be relied on to work very hard, and is very competitive with her teammates. So Dana, what are your favorite events to swim? “My favorite events to swim are probably the 200 back and the 200 IM because both require you to try harder than most events, like using all the strokes in the IM and having a continuous fast pace in the 200 back.” What have been your favorite meets thus far this season? “IMX, because it’s not only with PVS but a lot of other teams providing more people to race against and strive to beat. It also holds many memories for meeting new people.” Ever the competitor! How do you prepare for meets like IMX? “ I usually have a smoothie first thing in the morning if it’s an early meet, I also make sure to pack the night before to have more rest.” That is very smart. Plus, it makes you less stressed in the morning! I will have to remember that. What is the most challenging part about being a swimmer? “Time management. Because you can get really easily stressed out with school work and swim practices if you don’t have a schedule of your daily routine.” So true. The best swimmers are the ones who prioritize their schedule, and stick to it! Way to stay dedicated! What are some things you like about being on Blue Wave? “I like the wisdom wall and the quotes that are on it because it teaches us a new moral every practice that could greatly impact our future life.” Coach Mike very appreciates that Dana! Having a strong moral code is something that great swimmers live by, and teach to younger swimmers. What is one of your goals for this year, and how do you think you will achieve that goal? “My goal is to make it to finals at Zones and I plan to achieve that by trying harder at practice and start having a healthier life of eating healthy foods and having the right amount of sleep, etc.” Good plan, be sure and stick to your schedule Dana! Okay, let’s get off swimming for a second. But only a brief second, don’t worry! What are some of your favorite foods? “My favorite drink is apple juice. My favorite food is steak, or a cheeseburger (home-cooked).” Yum, yum! If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? “Probably go on vacation and take a break from all the drama of winning the lottery!” Hahaha, so true! You can bet friends will be knocking down your door to hang with you then! What do you do outside of swimming? “Reading, watching TV, and sleeping.” Sounds really nice after a hard practice. What are some accomplishments you are proud of? “Having all A’s in all my classes but math since third grade, and being all honors.” That is awesome Dana! Swimmers are classy, AND smart people! And finally, if you were an animal, what would you be and why? “I’d probably be a Jesus Christ lizard because they have many different techniques of staying away from predators, like running on water.” Well keep practicing Dana, and we might see you ‘flying’ across the water pretty quickly yourself! Congrats on Swimmer of the Month!

November 2013 Swimmer of the Month

 

Arti Shastry (BLUE Breakers)

Arti Shastry is a Blue Breaker who is pushing herself to new heights in her swimming. She has shown great improvement this year, in both her strokes and her effort in practice. She loves going to meets because she enjoys going as fast as she can, and seeing other swimmers race as fast as they can. That way, she learns something new about swimming every time she watches a race. Before swim meets Arti is sure to put in her best effort at practice to help build up her strength, and is sure to eat healthy too! When we asked her what the most challenging part of being a swimmer is, she answers emphatically “The breathing exercises. It gets so tiring and exhausting!” Keep working on it Arti! When asked about Blue Waves, she said “I love Blue Wave Swim Team because I have funny and kind coaches and teammates. I really love swimming for BWST!” One of Arti’s goals for this year is to get down to 38 seconds in her 50 freestyle. You can do it Arti! Something that we on the team may not know about Arti is that her favorite colors are pink, orange, yellow, and purple, because those are the colors of the sunset. Her favorite food is the Chipotle burrito bowl because it is healthy and gives her strength to swim. Yum yum! If Arti won the lottery, the first thing she would do is buy herself a home with a pool to swim in, and give some money to save poor families and give them good water, clothes, and things they need. Good for you Arti! Thinking of others is always important. What are some activities you like to do when you are not swimming? “I like to read my book or talk to Anshi (my sister), I also like to watch TV, but sometimes I just organize my desk.” Some accomplishments Arti is very proud of is when she was chosen as class representative for her school class. If Arti was an animal, she would be a dolphin because they love the water. Arti has shown a lot of enthusiasm for swimming, stroke and self improvement, and she is always very thoughtful of her teammates. She has put in some awesome work at practice, and loves to be pushed. Congratulations Arti! Keep working hard!

Ian Park (Typhoons 1)

Ian is one of our young Typhoon swimmers making a big splash during practice. Ever a great listener, Ian has shown up consistently for practice, and has always given his best effort. For this season, Ian has said his favorite meet has been the Reindeer Mini-Meet because he received his first heat-winner! His favorite stroke is butterfly, especially the 25 fly as he is his summer league team’s record holder. When asked about how he prepares for a meet, he says he “Goes to bed early,” and he always makes sure to “pack some chips.” Swimmers need to stay fed! What are some challenging parts about being a swimmer? “Trying to break my record (personal bests) at every meet.” That is a great challenge Ian! Keep working toward it man! What are some things you like about Blue Waves? “I can make friends easily.” Some goals Ian is trying to achieve this year is “To break my records at every meet.” Achieving personal bests are always hard Ian, so it’s a good thing his other goal is to keep practicing! What is something your teammates might not know about you? “They don’t know how many teeth I lost.” That is very true Ian. We will have to ask you that next time we see you. What is your favorite food? “Hot dogs!” What is the first thing you would do if you won the lottery? “I would buy a bunk-bed.” For a little guy, this swimmer does have some ‘lofty’ goals! You go Ian! Ian also plays basketball, and last year he won the Best Overall Student award at school. Last question Ian: If you were an animal, what would you be and why? “I would be a tiger because I could get food easily.” Well Ian, next time at practice we will ask to hear your roar! Congratulations Ian! All the work you are putting into practice is great! Stay focused!