If you go ...
What: 62nd annual Dr. Stiles Invitational
When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Monroe Municipal Pool at Recreation Park
Teams: Monroe, Sugar River, Belleville, Columbus, Jefferson, Evansville, Platteville, Milton, South Central.
Past champion: Sugar River will look to extend its streak of four straight team titles.
Admission: Free.
MONROE - Whether it's swimming or playing a game like Monopoly or checkers, Elsa Schaefer hates to lose.
So it makes sense that Schaefer, a 12-year-old from Monroe, has a sibling rivalry with her younger brother, Eli, on the Monroe Area Swim Team.
Elsa, who is 4 years older than Eli, wants to excel in every stroke she competes in during a swim meet.
"It's a little more competition for ribbons and medals to see who gets what," Elsa said of having her younger brother on the MAST swim team.
Both Elsa and Eli are gearing up for the 62nd annual Dr. Stiles Invitational on Saturday at the city pool in Monroe. The nine-team invitational is the biggest swim meet of the summer and reminds coaches and swimmers of the reason Dr. Frank Stiles started the swim club - to have fun. Dr. Stiles was a pediatrician in Monroe who started MAST more than a half century ago to give children an outlet to stay active in the summer. MAST now has about 70 swimmers.
Elsa didn't fall in love with swimming right away. She started taking swim lessons from Brenda Ritschard at the Green County Family YMCA when she was younger.
"I didn't like swimming when I was younger," Elsa said. "I don't know if it was because I couldn't swim well and stay up in the water."
When she joined MAST that all changed. Schaefer has been a MAST member since she was 5. Swimming is now her favorite sport. In the fall, she also plans to run cross country and track at Monroe Middle School.
Despite the fact that she's just entering seventh grade, Elsa practices with the high school team and the incoming freshmen on MAST. She has one of MAST's top times in the 50-meter breaststroke at 42 seconds.
Eli Schaefer uses swimming for cross training. Eli also plays baseball, basketball and soccer. His favorite sport is baseball.
"I like having fun swimming all of the strokes," Eli said. "Swimming the freestyle helps for the arm strength for throwing the ball."
Eli's favorite stroke is the breaststroke, just like his sister.
"The whip kick is hard," he said. "I have made a lot of friends."
Both Elsa and Eli are looking forward to the Dr. Stiles Invitational.
"I have made a lot of friends on the other teams," Elsa said. "I have been working hard in the older group. I just want to do my best. I'm used to swimming with them. My goals are to keep improving my strokes and keep getting faster times on my events."
So it makes sense that Schaefer, a 12-year-old from Monroe, has a sibling rivalry with her younger brother, Eli, on the Monroe Area Swim Team.
Elsa, who is 4 years older than Eli, wants to excel in every stroke she competes in during a swim meet.
"It's a little more competition for ribbons and medals to see who gets what," Elsa said of having her younger brother on the MAST swim team.
Both Elsa and Eli are gearing up for the 62nd annual Dr. Stiles Invitational on Saturday at the city pool in Monroe. The nine-team invitational is the biggest swim meet of the summer and reminds coaches and swimmers of the reason Dr. Frank Stiles started the swim club - to have fun. Dr. Stiles was a pediatrician in Monroe who started MAST more than a half century ago to give children an outlet to stay active in the summer. MAST now has about 70 swimmers.
Elsa didn't fall in love with swimming right away. She started taking swim lessons from Brenda Ritschard at the Green County Family YMCA when she was younger.
"I didn't like swimming when I was younger," Elsa said. "I don't know if it was because I couldn't swim well and stay up in the water."
When she joined MAST that all changed. Schaefer has been a MAST member since she was 5. Swimming is now her favorite sport. In the fall, she also plans to run cross country and track at Monroe Middle School.
Despite the fact that she's just entering seventh grade, Elsa practices with the high school team and the incoming freshmen on MAST. She has one of MAST's top times in the 50-meter breaststroke at 42 seconds.
Eli Schaefer uses swimming for cross training. Eli also plays baseball, basketball and soccer. His favorite sport is baseball.
"I like having fun swimming all of the strokes," Eli said. "Swimming the freestyle helps for the arm strength for throwing the ball."
Eli's favorite stroke is the breaststroke, just like his sister.
"The whip kick is hard," he said. "I have made a lot of friends."
Both Elsa and Eli are looking forward to the Dr. Stiles Invitational.
"I have made a lot of friends on the other teams," Elsa said. "I have been working hard in the older group. I just want to do my best. I'm used to swimming with them. My goals are to keep improving my strokes and keep getting faster times on my events."
