swim sisters

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Ann Arbor's Pioneer High School is a very good school. It has a very *very* good swim program. The women's team has been the best in Michigan for the last eight years, and was number one nationally in 2002-2003, 2004-2005, and 2005-2006.

The team is huge (90+ girls, some years -- everyone who is willing to do the work is welcome to swim with the team; no one is cut because she is too slow). Helping with the team's cohesiveness, every year's captains assign each girl a couple of "swim sisters" -- younger and older girls, who give each other little presents before meets (lip gloss, maybe, or home-baked cookies).

My daughter had some very illustrious sisters.

Margaret Kelly was part of all three of Pioneer's National Number One teams.  She went on to swim for the University of Michigan.

Alison Gregorka was part of the 2002-2003 Pioneer swim team's overwhelming dominance, but her true sport is water polo. The Pioneer women's water polo team were state champs in 1999-2000, 2001-2002, and 2002-2003. Alison went on to play polo for Stanford, and then to play for the USA senior national team.

Kara Lynn Joyce set national records in the 50 and 100 free at the Michigan high school state meet in 2002, and was part of 200 and 400 free relay teams that set national records that year.  She went on to swim for Georgia, and for the USA in the 2004 Olympics (where she won two silver medals). Kara Lynn visited Pioneer after the Olympics, and my daughter got to hold and admire an Olympic medal. How cool is that???

Kara Lynn and Alison are going to Beijing.

I keep saying it -- how cool is that?

We very much enjoyed watching Kara Lynn in Athens in 2004. It makes the Olympics seem much closer and more personal when you know someone who is on the team. When you recognize someone as team USA marches into the stadium. When you recognize a swimmer stepping up to the blocks because you have seen her do so, in person, many times.

How cool that two of my daughter's "sisters" will compete with team USA this summer!

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