William and Grace Larson have loved being in the water from a very young age. Now the siblings compete with the YMCA Heat and the Indian Acres swim year round.
Their mom, Lori, said they would watch the kids dive for treasurers and play with them in the deep water when they were as young as three years old.
During the summer months, William and Grace practice with the Indian Acres swim team three or four times a week. They spend every Saturday from June through July at swim meets.
Last Saturday, William finished first in both relays, first in backstroke, a second in individual medley and a second in breaststroke. Grace finished second with her relay team, and individually she got a third, fourth and fifth place. This included an improved time in the butterfly.
Throughout the season, they are able to compete in breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle, backstroke, individual medley and freestyle relay.
Grace likes to swim the butterfly and has a personal best of 1:03:13 in the 50 meter race. William likes to swim the breaststroke and has a personal best of 44.24 seconds in the 50 meter race.
While swimming helps swimmers to stay in shape, William said he has also learned about teamwork and encouragement as part of the swim team.
“During relays you really have to work with your teammates to get going faster,” he said. “You have to depend on your teammates to help you forward faster and they help you with technique.”
The process of watching teammates in the water is beneficial for the swimmer and those on the sidelines. William said it is important to remind teammates about their stroke and breathing technique. Grace said she how to be a better swimmer from watching stronger teammates.
Although the pool length is longer than they are used to, William and Grace hope to finish their races with faster times than last year as they head into their final two meets in Charleston on July 20 and July 27. The July 27 meet is a conference meet against Effingham, Shelbyville, Tuscola, Charleston, Sholem and Crystal Lake.
They also want to be a good teammate during the meet. Grace said whether she is swimming against an opponent or a teammate, it is important to tell them good luck before a race and to tell them good race after they are done swimming.
“I’ve learned to always show good sportsmanship, and to be nice to everyone,” Grace said.
After William and Grace finish the summer swim season, they will take time off before starting with the Champaign County YMCA Heat team again for the winter season.
