MONROE - Samantha Ellefson might not be sitting on the couch this summer had the Monroe Area Swim Team disbanded, but the Monroe Middle School student said she wouldn't be happy, either.
"I guess I would just be playing basketball outside and I guess I'd just be missing swimming," said the 12-year-old MAST veteran, whose mother, Teri, is a former MAST board member. "It keeps me entertained. I like it.
"I was kind of surprised and kind of sad (during the winter) because swimming is my favorite sport. Now we can all swim and just have fun."
MAST opened its 58th season Tuesday night with a new course configuration and a bright future just five months after the non-profit organization came within days of disbanding over two major issues - entering into a financial agreement with the City of Monroe to make physical changes at the city-owned pool and finding new leadership to guide the group in fundraising efforts to pay for its share of those changes.
Danielle Schrenk volunteered to become MAST president in January and was in the thick of the action on the pool deck Tuesday as the home team dropped a 323-316 decision to South Central Swim Team from Janesville.
Schrenk said her daughter Grace "was devastated" over MAST's potential demise.
"I had to do something," she said of volunteering to join the board.
Schrenk said she is pleased with group's direction and that the first meet contested on a 25-meter course in the diving well went smoothly.
Making the switch from the 50-meter course was necessitated when a MAST swimmer suffered a broken vertebrae after diving from the starting blocks during a practice last summer. That led to a recommendation by the city's insurance carrier that it not allow diving from the starting blocks unless all eight lanes had a water depth of 5 feet. The depth at the east end of the pool ranges from 4 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet.
"When we set up the lanes for the 25s, I looked down and I was like, 'It's just not right,'" Schrenk said. "But we had to do what we had to do. The kids are adjusting very, very well."
Third-year MAST coach Kendell Niffenegger concurred.
"I think it's going smooth - as smooth as it can," said Niffenegger, a MAST alum. "It's just getting used to it, and it will take some time."
The major differences for swimmers is they now dive into much deeper water off the starting blocks and flip turns are in play in 50-meter races.
"I was pretty upset that the pool got switched around, but it works, I guess," said Anna Meritt, a 13-year-old MMS student who has been a MAST member for several years. "Most teams have this kind of pool, so I'm already pretty used to it."
Getting a new season under way isn't the only positive news for MAST, according to Schrenk. She said the organization is more than halfway toward raising its $10,000 obligation to the city - MAST's portion of the estimated $25,000 to reconfigure the pool for competitive swimming in the diving well.
"We're sitting at $5,000 in grant money we have received, which doesn't include our fundraiser stuff we're doing," Schrenk said.
She added that the total cost of the project is largely dependent on how easily a slide that sits on the deck in what would be the sixth lane can be removed and reinstalled. It will be removed to create a sixth lane for MAST's signature meet - the Dr. Stiles Invitational July 13-14.
"We won't know for sure until the end of the season" how much MAST must pay the city, Schrenk said. "The slide will be the big make-it-or-break-it thing with that. (The city needs) to take the slide out and they don't know how it's going to work."
MAST had a pair of three-time individual winners in the meet. In the 9-10 boys, Christopher Andraski won the 50 freestyle (49.33), the 50 butterfly (1:09.10) and the 50 breaststroke (1:14.75). He also teamed with Logan Ferreri, Landon Knobel and Zachary Meighan to take the 200 medley relay in 5:30.64.
In 13-14 girls, Charlie Rindy finished first in the 50 backstroke (49.20), the 50 butterfly (42.47) and the 100 freestyle (1:30.80).
Also in 13-14 girls, Meritt won the 500 freestyle (39.19).
Ellefson took the 11-12 title in the 50 backstroke (45.91) and Savannah Brandt won the 50 butterfly (43.85).
In 9-10 boys, the 200 freestyle relay of Jakob Bernstein, Dayne Garwell, Knobel and Meighan won in 7:35.68, and Knobel won the 50 backstroke (1:10.83).
Kayleigh Nesbitt won the
9-10 girls title in the 50 butterfly (1:02.39).
In 8-under girls, Kaitlyn Elgin won 25 breaststroke in 32.56. In 8-under boys, Meighan won the 25 freestyle (24.91) and 25 butterfly (34.75), and Ferreri won the 25 backstroke (43.59).
"I guess I would just be playing basketball outside and I guess I'd just be missing swimming," said the 12-year-old MAST veteran, whose mother, Teri, is a former MAST board member. "It keeps me entertained. I like it.
"I was kind of surprised and kind of sad (during the winter) because swimming is my favorite sport. Now we can all swim and just have fun."
MAST opened its 58th season Tuesday night with a new course configuration and a bright future just five months after the non-profit organization came within days of disbanding over two major issues - entering into a financial agreement with the City of Monroe to make physical changes at the city-owned pool and finding new leadership to guide the group in fundraising efforts to pay for its share of those changes.
Danielle Schrenk volunteered to become MAST president in January and was in the thick of the action on the pool deck Tuesday as the home team dropped a 323-316 decision to South Central Swim Team from Janesville.
Schrenk said her daughter Grace "was devastated" over MAST's potential demise.
"I had to do something," she said of volunteering to join the board.
Schrenk said she is pleased with group's direction and that the first meet contested on a 25-meter course in the diving well went smoothly.
Making the switch from the 50-meter course was necessitated when a MAST swimmer suffered a broken vertebrae after diving from the starting blocks during a practice last summer. That led to a recommendation by the city's insurance carrier that it not allow diving from the starting blocks unless all eight lanes had a water depth of 5 feet. The depth at the east end of the pool ranges from 4 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet.
"When we set up the lanes for the 25s, I looked down and I was like, 'It's just not right,'" Schrenk said. "But we had to do what we had to do. The kids are adjusting very, very well."
Third-year MAST coach Kendell Niffenegger concurred.
"I think it's going smooth - as smooth as it can," said Niffenegger, a MAST alum. "It's just getting used to it, and it will take some time."
The major differences for swimmers is they now dive into much deeper water off the starting blocks and flip turns are in play in 50-meter races.
"I was pretty upset that the pool got switched around, but it works, I guess," said Anna Meritt, a 13-year-old MMS student who has been a MAST member for several years. "Most teams have this kind of pool, so I'm already pretty used to it."
Getting a new season under way isn't the only positive news for MAST, according to Schrenk. She said the organization is more than halfway toward raising its $10,000 obligation to the city - MAST's portion of the estimated $25,000 to reconfigure the pool for competitive swimming in the diving well.
"We're sitting at $5,000 in grant money we have received, which doesn't include our fundraiser stuff we're doing," Schrenk said.
She added that the total cost of the project is largely dependent on how easily a slide that sits on the deck in what would be the sixth lane can be removed and reinstalled. It will be removed to create a sixth lane for MAST's signature meet - the Dr. Stiles Invitational July 13-14.
"We won't know for sure until the end of the season" how much MAST must pay the city, Schrenk said. "The slide will be the big make-it-or-break-it thing with that. (The city needs) to take the slide out and they don't know how it's going to work."
MAST had a pair of three-time individual winners in the meet. In the 9-10 boys, Christopher Andraski won the 50 freestyle (49.33), the 50 butterfly (1:09.10) and the 50 breaststroke (1:14.75). He also teamed with Logan Ferreri, Landon Knobel and Zachary Meighan to take the 200 medley relay in 5:30.64.
In 13-14 girls, Charlie Rindy finished first in the 50 backstroke (49.20), the 50 butterfly (42.47) and the 100 freestyle (1:30.80).
Also in 13-14 girls, Meritt won the 500 freestyle (39.19).
Ellefson took the 11-12 title in the 50 backstroke (45.91) and Savannah Brandt won the 50 butterfly (43.85).
In 9-10 boys, the 200 freestyle relay of Jakob Bernstein, Dayne Garwell, Knobel and Meighan won in 7:35.68, and Knobel won the 50 backstroke (1:10.83).
Kayleigh Nesbitt won the
9-10 girls title in the 50 butterfly (1:02.39).
In 8-under girls, Kaitlyn Elgin won 25 breaststroke in 32.56. In 8-under boys, Meighan won the 25 freestyle (24.91) and 25 butterfly (34.75), and Ferreri won the 25 backstroke (43.59).
