Whiz Kid of the Week: Mandy Mele

Patch Whiz Kid of the Week:

○     Mandy Mele, 14

○     Newtown High School (incoming)

○     Won two silver medals at the competitive Nutmeg State Games

It's ironic how when Mandy Mele was only about 5-years-old, she was never keen on climbing into the pool.

"I just didn't like sticking my head in the water," said the now-14-year-old incoming first year student at Newtown High School. "Now I love it."

Nine years later, Mandy is not only regularly spending a couple of hours in the pool every day, she has placed in the top two for her age group at the recent Nutmeg State Games in the 50-yeard and 100-yard freestyle and the top four in the 100-yard breakstroke.

She swam the 50 yard freestyle in 27.42, the 100-yard freestyle in 1:01.35 and the 100-yard breakstroke in 1:20 during the Nutmeg games held July 31 at Central Connecticut State University pool.

Her goal now is to make it to a national meet in Atlanta, GA next summer with the rest of the Brookfield-based Western Connecticut YMCA Mako swin team.

"I need to take a second off of my time," she said, with a clear vision of what it will take to excel.

Mandy said while swimming didn't initially come naturally to her, there was something that "clicked" for her after a family friend taught her how to swim and then a friend of hers introduced her to competition. The friend still trains with her.

Swimming is unlike any other sport she has tried, Mandy said.

"When I was in the water, I felt relaxed," she said. "I just felt like this was where I belong."

With the swim season over, Mandy doesn't let herself relax. The teen said she still puts in an hour and a half in the pool every day in addition to core strength training.

"You really have to love it to do it," she said.