A Celebration of Bears

Sometimes we parents get lucky.  We put our kids into a sport because we believe it will build character and strengthen their will through the tests, setbacks, and triumphs of training and competition.  As parents, we want swimming to reinforce in our kids the notion that they improve themselves, and their world, through hard work and determination.  We wish for our kids to discover the power of having a dream, setting a goal, and going for it.  We remember the good people swimming produces and the lifelong friendships we formed, and hope for the same for our kids.

It doesn’t always work out.  Most of us know all too well the dynamics and the politics that can splinter teams.  But sometimes the opposite happens and the mixture of coaches, athletes, and parents gel perfectly, forming a group which instead of breaking apart, continues to grow, attracting more kids who want to be part of the fun and success.

This brief article is really a thank you note from a parent to one such group of young men from Walnut Creek in Northern California.    You’ve done yourselves proud boys.  Even in a sport blessed with so many great kids, you are special.  For the past four years (10 if you count Summer Rec), I’ve had the pleasure of watching you push each other both in school and in the pool, but most importantly, I thank you for the way you’ve been so good to each other, so fun to be around.     As you begin to graduate this year and next, I will miss your energy, the sleepovers, the new faces that seemed to show up in the living room every month, and the continuous amazement of just how much pizza boys in training can devour…

Recently nine Walnut Creek Aquabear boys qualified to swim at JNats.   In the age of super teams competing out of multiple venues, this is an unusual number of qualifiers from a single pool in a single town.  These boys are just the tip of the iceberg as there are more looking to make the trip next year.

Pictured in Federal Way above clockwise from the left:

Mason Tittle: Sr., 100/200 Fly 48.60/1:49.88,  50/100 Fr 20.92/45.92, Scholastic All-American.

My favorite memory of Mason is the pure elation of the highest high five out of a deep water pool anyone has ever seen.  It’s a rare thing to swim to a tie down to the hundredth of a second.  It’s rarer still for the tie to be with your teammate in the lane right next to you.  And it has to be nearly the rarest of all to do it in the C-Final of the Junior National Championships.  But that is what Mason and his teammate Grant (see below) did.  Each finishing in a best time, and when Mason looked up and saw what happened, he launched into the sweetest high five I’ve ever seen.  It’s a nice bookend memory to go along with watching Mason in the Walnut Creek City championships (Summer Rec) competing for the 50 fly title as a 10 year old.  Mason will be swimming for UCSB in the fall.

Maddie Ward: So.,   100/200 Br 1:05.04/2:22.35, 100 Fr 53.72.

Courage.  Nobody faces and overcomes challenges with more courage than Maddie.  She’s the most recent convert from summer rec swimming to year round swimming, and improving rapidly.  In her first 100 free as a year round swimmer, determined to win, she did not breath the entire last lap…She’s that kind of competitor.  Maddie’s a little younger than the boys, but more than holds her own with those clowns…

Matt Horner: Sr. 50/100 Fr. 20.99/45.69, Scholastic All-American.

To grow up in Contra Costa County is to begin your swimming career in the summer rec leagues.  It’s a big deal – An arena where neighborhood and school bragging rights are earned.  As a 14 year old, in his last summer rec meet, Matt beat one the local legends that had never lost a race before, setting a new county 50 free record in the process  (22.03).  It’s one of those things where if you have to ask why winning a summer rec meet is such a big deal, you wouldn’t understand the answer.  It’s more than a meet, it’s a whole culture.  Matt is also an outstanding student and as of this writing is undecided about where he will attend college in the fall.  Some team will be getting an outstanding and determined sprinter.

Grant Watson: Jr., 100/200 Fly 48.60/1:49.08, 200 IM 1:52.69, Scholastic All-American

Grant is the original Aquabear.  He’s the only one that started out as a year round swimmer, and he has been ranked nationally since about age 11.  Grant is the defending  North Coast Section (NCS) high school 100 fly champion, and was the other end of the spectacular high five in Federal Way.  A note to college coaches (especially you Ivies, Stanford, MIT):  As great and well rounded a swimmer as Grant is, his academics are even better.  He’s going to be an incredible addition to any college both as a student and as an athlete.

Hank Poppe: Jr., 100/200 Br 54.87/2:02.55, Scholastic All-American

Tremendous upside potential.  One wouldn’t think that these words would apply to a 54.87 breaststroker who already stands 6’5” tall.  But here’s the thing, Hank is a year ahead in school, so he’s still young and he’s still growing.  He’s still getting taller and stronger, and developing the coordination to fit into his frame.  It’s scary to think about what might be possible for Hank, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for his sweet puppy dog personality.  Hey college coaches, make sure Hank is on your radar…

Zach Ottati: Sr. 100 Fly 50.30, 200 IM 1:53.20, 100/200 Back 51.76/1:51.23, Scholastic All-American

Zach is this year’s recipient of the Thomas and Jewell McGowan Memorial Award – The highest Aquabear team honor, the motto of which is “Leadership, Commitment, Motivation, and Achievement are the real rewards of swimming.”  I have it on good authority that his parents are very proud of him.  Zach will be attending Williams College in the fall.

Eric VanBrocklin: Sr. 100/200 Fly 50.52/1:48.00, 200/500 Fr 1:39.13/4:31.48, Scholastic All-American

Two and a half years ago, Eric was a sprint freestyle consolation finalist in the Summer Rec County Meet.  This December, Eric won the B-Final at JNats in the 200 fly in 1:48.00.  Eric’s story is one of an unbelievable swimming trajectory that hasn’t slowed.  But what I also love is his inquisitive nature and lively mind.  “But is it still the Argo if Jason replaces all of the planks and boards on the ship piece by piece over time?” I’m not really sure young Plutarch…  Eric recently verbally committed to attend UCSB in the fall.  The UCSB swim team will get a great distance man, and the UCSB classroom will get a great debater.

Calvin Kirpatrick:  Sr., 100/200 Bk 50.49/1:50.16, 50/100 Fr 21.05/46.37, Scholastic All-American

If you wake up in the morning to find your yard populated with Blair Witch Project stick figures and stone piles, somewhere at the end of the investigation, you’ll find Calvin’s mischievous smile… Then there was the time he super glued quarters to the pool deck and set up chairs as a viewing area to watch all the swimmers try to pick them up…You get the idea.  Calvin’s a creative spirit and great fun to be around.  Calvin will be attending UCSB in the fall.

Jake Rollo: Jr., 200/400 IM 1:52.55/3:59.77, 500/1000 Fr 4:34.50/9:26.57

Mental toughness.  I’ve never seen a swimmer who can bounce back from a bad race faster and better than Jake Rollo.  Somehow, some way, if Jake has a bad swim, it doesn’t matter, he puts it behind him and within an hour he’s ready to swim a best time – And then he does.   The other thing about Jake that you wouldn’t know just by meeting him, is he’s the kid with a plan for the whole season.  He knows exactly which races he wants to focus on and when, he knows exactly what his splits need to be, and he has a progression plan to get to his goal at the end.  Jake has systematically worked through each of the strokes such that he’s good at them all, turning himself into a great IM’r and all round swimmer.  College coaches, if you are looking for a man to plug in almost anywhere, Jake is game.

Aaron Lutzker (MIA in Federal Way during the picture): Sr., 100/200 Br.  56.71/2:03.03 200 IM 1:53.13, Scholastic All-American

Mental toughness II.  If Jake is the guy who bounces back from a bad swim, Aaron is the kid who refuses to be beaten in the last 10 yards of a race.  My first memory of Aaron is him as a nine year old swimming a 100 IM, just behind two other swimmers with 10 yards to go.  Both were better freestylers, and yet Aaron found a way to win that race.  And he’s been doing it ever since.  Aaron simply will not lose at the end.  It’s uncanny how many close races he wins.  Aaron has not yet decided where he will be attending college in the fall.

So, to the Aquabear boys, thank you.  Thank you for striving to be excellent, and for pulling each other along with you.  Please know that as you begin to scatter around the country to begin your new adventures, we parents are proud of you and we will still be here rooting for you.  And when you come home, don’t forget to stop by for some pizza.

Polar bears are normally solitary and free ranging (and excellent swimmers), but when they come together (usually to eat…irony noted) they are collectively called a Celebration…