Ka‘eo Kruse, 11, set the pace for the special Keiki Meet hosted by Swim Kaua‘i Aquatics last Saturday at the YMCA pool in Puhi. Stacey Machorek of SKA said while the older teammates are actively involved in the high school
Ka‘eo Kruse, 11, set the pace for the special Keiki Meet hosted by Swim Kaua‘i Aquatics last Saturday at the YMCA pool in Puhi.
Stacey Machorek of SKA said while the older teammates are actively involved in the high school swimming season, the younger swimmers continue to train daily at the YMCA pool facility and also at the Waimea pool.
During the Keiki Meet, four of the SKA Gold and one of the Silver level swimmers earned new state qualifying times. Additionally, two new SKA swimmers, Maeve Jensen, 8, and Malia Splittstoesser, 7, had the opportunity to compete in a swim meet for the first time.
Kruse finished with a perfect meet, earning personal best times in each of the events he swam in. Among those achievements, Kruse earned a state qualifying time in the 100 Yard Freestyle on a 1:05.13 swim and a “AA” time in the 100 Yard Breaststroke on a 1:35.29 swim, besting his previous swim by 13.58 seconds.
Jack Machorek, 9, also pocketed a state qualifying time in the 100 Yard Butterfly with his 1:32.62 performance, besting his previous swim by 10.50 seconds.
Erik Safford, 12, swimming in the 100 Yard Breaststroke for the first time, finished with a state qualifying time on his 1:24.26 swim. He also pocketed a “AA” time standard in the 200 Yard Individual Medley with a 2:51.18 swim. This was also the first time Safford swam the event.
Jazmyn Ibaan Carvalho, 12, earned a state qualifying time in her performance in the 100 Yard Breaststroke, stopping the clocks at 1:24.05, bettering her previous swim by 4.75 seconds.
Javier Pigott, 10, also pocketed a state qualifying swim in the 50 Yard Breaststroke where he touched the wall at 47.30.
Gabriela Bryan, 7, picked up four personal best times, her biggest drop coming in the 100 Yard Freestyle where she cut 38.97 seconds off her previous swim, and Mikayla Holzman, 5, SKA’s youngest member, took 7.80 seconds off her time in the 25 Yard Freestyle event.
Zach Safford, 10, earned a “A” time standard in the 100 Yard Individual Medley where he stopped the clock at 1:50.08, bettering his previous swim by 16.99 seconds.
Stacey said many of the older SKA members turned out to support the keiki in their swim and worked as timers during the meet, using the opportunity to train new parents on the timing equipment and procedures.
SKA will be assisting the West Kaua‘i Lions Club with the Ed Ho Memorial Swim Meet at the Waimea pool during the Waimea Town Celebration on Feb. 20.
