SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Several members of the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center’s Stingrays youth swim team participated in championship meets in our region to close out their winter season.
The Stingrays participated in the New England B Championships at the University of New Hampshire for qualifying athletes 12 years and younger. Junior team member Oliver Lord, 10, won six medals and ribbons with the best times in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard individual relay. First year swimmer Ashton White, 7, won second place finishes in all three of his events, and senior team member Noah Waterman, 12, came in sixth place in the 50-yard backstroke.
On Saturday, March 18, the Stingrays wrapped up their 2022-2023 winter season at the New Hampshire Swim Association Championships, at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center in White River Junction. The team had a great showing at the championship, with several members achieving outstanding performances. Waterman finished in second place in the 50-yard backstroke, and third place in the 50-yard freestyle. Everett Whipple, 8, won second place in his 25-yard breaststroke, and fifth place in the 25-yard freestyle. White finished in third place in each of his 25-yard freestyle, 25-yard breaststroke, and 25-yard backstroke races. Lord had a third-place finish in the 50-yard breaststroke, and a fourth-place finish in the 50-yard butterfly. Senior member Berkley Hutchins, 17, achieved a third-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, and senior Janie Thompson, 18, achieved a fifth-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle.
Other Stingray team members achieved personal best times in their events, including Rowan Caulkins, 16, in 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly; Aubrey Seman, 15, in the 100-yard backstroke; Theresa Marquise, 11, in the 50-yard butterfly; Carl Johnson, 12, in the 50-yard backstroke; Amelia Crockett, 13, in the 100 and 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke; Everett Whipple in the 25-yard backstroke; Janey Whipple, 10, in the 50-yard freestyle, 50-yard backstroke, and 50-yard butterfly; Dean Long, 11, in the 50-yard freestyle, 50-yard backstroke, and 50-yard butterfly; Autumn Lord, 10, in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard individual medley; Waterman in the 50-yard freestyle; White in the 25-yard backstroke and 25-yard breaststroke; and Lincoln Chase, 9, in the 50-yard freestyle.
Coaches Rick Matthews and Ann Thompson want to give special recognition to Berkley Hutchins and Janie Thompson, who are both graduating seniors this year.
Hutchins received a scholarship from the NHSA toward her tuition at St. Joseph’s College of Maine, a member school of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. Hutchins will join the college’s swim team while she pursues a nursing degree. Recently, Hutchins represented the Stingrays team at the Age Group Championship meet at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Coach Thompson describes Hutchins as “a powerhouse of a swimmer with multiple age group qualifications and a Vermont State Champion title in breaststroke.”
Janie Thompson is completing her 11th year with the Stingrays this summer, and has committed to the University of Vermont’s Grossman Business School this fall. Coach Thompson says, “Janie is a technician in the water. Her strokes are always models for the rest of the team.”
For youth who are interested in learning about and joining the Stingrays Swim Team, there will be an Intro to Swim Team three-week program starting May 15. The introductory class will meet Monday and Wednesday afternoons at 4:15 p.m., at the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center. Coach Rick Matthews will lead the group through a practice that focuses on stroke technique, improvement, and endurance.
The Stingrays summer season begins June 12. Registration is open now. For more information, or to register, go to www.edgarmay.org/swim-team.