If you go ...
What: 63rd annual Dr. Stiles Invitational swim meet
When: 9 a.m. Saturday
Where: Monroe municipal pool, Recreation Park
Last year's champion: Platteville
MONROE - Emily Meritt's days this summer are full with dual roles as a coach and swimmer for the Monroe Area Swim Team.
Meritt will be a junior at Monroe High School in the fall. She's devoting her summer to coaching middle school-aged swimmers, working on perfecting her own strokes in the 100-meter freestyle and 100 butterfly and making a journey to Costa Rica as an exchange student.
Meritt, 16, has been swimming for 10 years, but this is her first season as a coach. It's a new experience she is welcoming with open arms.
"I know how kids feel," Meritt said. "I was once a swimmer (at their level). I like how the kids look up to me. When they see me swimming they think it's fun their coach is in the water with them."
Meritt started swimming when she was 6. As a younger swimmer, Meritt said she first looked up to her older sister, Anna Meritt, a 2016 Monroe graduate who also served as a coach for MAST.
"When I got older, I looked up to Linda Moser," she said of the Monroe-New Glarus swim coach.
Meritt teamed with Maddie Hammer, Skylar Lassen, and Nina Schiro on the Monroe-New Glarus swim team to take 12th in the 400 freestyle relay at the WIAA Division 2 state meet last year with a time of 3 minutes, 45.49 seconds. Meritt broke 1 minute in the 100 freestyle in the 400 freestyle relay for the first time at state last season.
"It made me believe in myself," Meritt said of breaking 1 minute during the 400 freestyle relay at state last year. "It showed me what I can accomplish."
Lassen graduated, but the Cheesemakers will have three of the swimmers from that relay back again this year.
"My one goal for swim team this year is to get under 1 minute in the 100 freestyle," she said. "I want to shave even more time off my butterfly. I'm really focused on working with the kids. I think at the end of the summer I can get ready for the high school season."
While she's coaching and working as a lifeguard, Meritt still has to find time to work on her swimming strokes. Coaching has been a blessing. It has stoked her energy for swimming.
"It's not as easy as I thought it would be," Meritt said of coaching. "Some of the kids are not as interested in swimming as much as I am."
She has worked on developing the endurance of the middle school swimmers.
Meritt said it's rewarding to see the younger swimmers improve and get better.
With the Dr. Stiles Invitational set for Saturday, she has one message she wants her swimmers to remember.
"Most of them have swam in the Dr. Stiles meet before," she said. "I will stress to them do your best because that is the motto of the meet. You can always improve. I still want them to have fun while swimming."
Meritt will be a junior at Monroe High School in the fall. She's devoting her summer to coaching middle school-aged swimmers, working on perfecting her own strokes in the 100-meter freestyle and 100 butterfly and making a journey to Costa Rica as an exchange student.
Meritt, 16, has been swimming for 10 years, but this is her first season as a coach. It's a new experience she is welcoming with open arms.
"I know how kids feel," Meritt said. "I was once a swimmer (at their level). I like how the kids look up to me. When they see me swimming they think it's fun their coach is in the water with them."
Meritt started swimming when she was 6. As a younger swimmer, Meritt said she first looked up to her older sister, Anna Meritt, a 2016 Monroe graduate who also served as a coach for MAST.
"When I got older, I looked up to Linda Moser," she said of the Monroe-New Glarus swim coach.
Meritt teamed with Maddie Hammer, Skylar Lassen, and Nina Schiro on the Monroe-New Glarus swim team to take 12th in the 400 freestyle relay at the WIAA Division 2 state meet last year with a time of 3 minutes, 45.49 seconds. Meritt broke 1 minute in the 100 freestyle in the 400 freestyle relay for the first time at state last season.
"It made me believe in myself," Meritt said of breaking 1 minute during the 400 freestyle relay at state last year. "It showed me what I can accomplish."
Lassen graduated, but the Cheesemakers will have three of the swimmers from that relay back again this year.
"My one goal for swim team this year is to get under 1 minute in the 100 freestyle," she said. "I want to shave even more time off my butterfly. I'm really focused on working with the kids. I think at the end of the summer I can get ready for the high school season."
While she's coaching and working as a lifeguard, Meritt still has to find time to work on her swimming strokes. Coaching has been a blessing. It has stoked her energy for swimming.
"It's not as easy as I thought it would be," Meritt said of coaching. "Some of the kids are not as interested in swimming as much as I am."
She has worked on developing the endurance of the middle school swimmers.
Meritt said it's rewarding to see the younger swimmers improve and get better.
With the Dr. Stiles Invitational set for Saturday, she has one message she wants her swimmers to remember.
"Most of them have swam in the Dr. Stiles meet before," she said. "I will stress to them do your best because that is the motto of the meet. You can always improve. I still want them to have fun while swimming."
