Carmel Swim Club: What Happened After It Happened

Carmel High School’s performance in the pool at the 2014 Indiana High School State Championship meet on Friday and Saturday was nothing shy of impressive. It’s worthy of all of the superlatives that it gets, including one of the top-5 high school performances ever at a single meet, and in this writer’s opinion, the most impressive by a girls’ high school team in the last decade.

But that might not even be the most impressive performance from Carmel on Saturday.

On Monday morning, we got a note from Dave Thibodeau, the Facility Manager of the pool at IUPUI (the big one, who hosted this meet), sharing a story about two Carmel swimmers who really caught his attention.

“Last Saturday, just after the Carmel High School girls were jumping into the diving well to celebrate their win, I noticed two Carmel swimmers pushing a garbage can around the pool deck,” Thibodeau shared. “They were cleaning the pool deck. I watched the two climbing over and under each bleacher to gather the trash. This was happening while Carmel High was still whooping and hollering in the diving well as they earned the right to do.”

“I approached the two girls to ask ‘why’? They told me that we, the NAT, shouldn’t have to clean up after their swimmers.”

Thibodeau says that he was shocked when he learned the names of the two swimmers. One was Claire Adams, who broke State Records in the 200 free (1:46.95) and the 100 back (52.97) in both prelims and finals as just a sophomore. She was also on both the National Record setting 200 and 400 yard freestyle relays.

The other was Adams’ best friend, Katy Schiles, also a sophomore, who placed 12th in the 500 free.

Thibodeau says that implored the girls that they didn’t have to do that, and that this was their time to celebrate, but that they wouldn’t stop until they’d finished a loop of the pool deck (and it’s quite a deck in Indianapolis, as many of our readers know).

These aren’t student managers; they aren’t end-of-the-bench swimmers who might not feel connected to the team’s win; they aren’t even senior captains who want to leave a good impression in their last meet with the team. These are 15-year old sophomores who both were big contributors to the title and who will be huge building blocks for the future of this Carmel Swim Club.

There’s a lot of confusions that could be drawn from this, and handshakes are offered all around to the coaches, the parents, and especially the swimmers for such a humble and selfless act. Carmel High School is an Indiana dynasty. Not every member of that team has lived in Carmel their entire lives, but with performances like their’s, and character like that in those two swimmers, it’s easy to see why people moving to Indiana wind up there, and why this dynasty has been around for 28 years. It’s a small thing, something that could have easily gone unnoticed, but something worthy of much laudation regardless.

Congratulations to Carmel High School for your impressive performance during the meet, and for your impressive performance afterward.

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David Marsh
10 years ago

Coach Plumb and his staff have led a tradition of class and now it is their culture. I’m sure there were many small features of respect for competitors (like we experience from them at Jr. Nats)

Bob Abdellah
10 years ago

It is my pleasant good fortune to live in the immediate neighborhood of both Ms. Adams and Ms. Schlies. I can state completely without reservation or bluster that both these young women are true champions regardless of relative humidity or dew factor. Class and integrity are neither random nor accidental. Full props to Carmel High School for creating and sustaining a culture of dynastic swimming success. Their staff has established the tradition and are fully deserving of the attendant accolades. But in the specific case of these two selfless young athletes, the credit must rightfully be shared with the respective families that fuel them with abundant love, guidance and nurturing that facilitates their aquatic feats of honor.

CoachGB
10 years ago

Class Act !!

AL
10 years ago

Missy Franklin Effect – Did this at her State Champs last year. Swimmers take note.

Dean Ottati
10 years ago

Well it doesn’t appear that HulkSwim has been on to comment yet. So in his (or her) absensce: Claire Adams and Katie Schiles — SMASH!

Way to go ladies. Winners not just in the pool, but in life. You do our sport proud.

Fellow swimmer
10 years ago

it is nice that these girls stopped to do this. I wish they could be that kind to us, their not so fast teammates that were not able to swim. I personally have been belittled by one of them and I am a senior just because I’m not as fast. Her mother was also rude to my mom. I’m glad these ladies helped pick up. As captains we have told all the ladies this all season. I just wish they had grace and class to fellow teammates.

Bossanova
Reply to  Fellow swimmer
10 years ago

Ouch! Was their intention to motivate you to go faster? I just can’t understand why someone with so much talent would be anything but gracious.

coach
Reply to  Fellow swimmer
10 years ago

What a disappointing choice to post something like this, especially after such a special weekend for your team. As a coach, I cringed for Coach Plumb after reading your comments.

MarkB
Reply to  coach
10 years ago

Well, these are HS girls and if they had been belittled all year and then saw an article about the selflessness of the belittler, I can see why they would post it here.

Jared
Reply to  Fellow swimmer
8 years ago

Grow up. I swim for Carmel also, and as of now, I’m not as fast as Claire, but her & Katy have never said a mean word to me, or anyone I know. I have only heard things about them, saying they were unkind and judgmental, but I have never gotten that from either. Don’t listen to them. FTT

10 years ago

Thank you for highlighting this moment amongst all the excitement and drama of winning the Indiana State High School Girls State Championship. Too often only the winning teams receive the accolades, and it is very refreshing to have the media praise two amazing young women who are not only talented in the pool, but who are wonderful examples of what being good teammates, citizens, and friends should be on dry land too. I have had the privilege of knowing these two young women for many years, and I could not be prouder of who they are becoming and the examples they are setting for all of their teammates and peers. Carmel’s motto is “For The Team” and these two exemplify… Read more »

Buckeye boy
Reply to  Kristin Katsis
10 years ago

I thought the “FTT” motto was used by the Sarasota YMCA sharks?? I know they have been using it for at least ten years. Congrats to Carmel on a fantastic meet and the girls highlighted in this article for their great example of self responsibility.

Maalco
10 years ago

Outstanding! Congrats to Carmel & Coach. Anyone know…what’s the contact rules in Indiana regarding high school & club coaches? In season vs off season? I’m curious because it’s working. Other states take note!

matthew
Reply to  Maalco
10 years ago

i grew up swimming in indiana, most – if not all – of the successful club coaches are also the head coaches of the best high school teams. Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Chesterton, etc. all have same club/HS feeder programs and they’re the best coaches in the state. IMHO :).

Reply to  Maalco
10 years ago

I think I read in one of the articles that the Carmel coach had like 23 swimmers at the meet from his club team….with 20 on his team alone. So I believe there are no limitations. That is how it should be. If kids want to swim for there same coach they should have that choice. If they want to swim for a diff coach they should be able to do that too.

Swimmermama
Reply to  Maalco
10 years ago

There are limitations, but with a big enough pool and enough coaches, you can make it work. The real issue really becomes policing which swimmers are in which lanes. When you’re mixing boys and girls from a lot of different high schools, it gets unrealistic.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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