Family YMCA Water Rats Show Championship Mettle -- and Medals!

The Westport Weston Family YMCA’s youngest competitive swimmers began the short course championship season by racking up a series of wins and setting a new team record at the 8 & Under State Championships at Hopkins School in New Haven on Feb. 20.

Congratulations to Annam Olasewere for breaking the Water Rat team record in the 8 & Under 50 Yard Butterfly with a first-place time of 37.10.

Annam also took first in the 25 Butterfly and the 25 Freestyle, and helped the Water Rat Girls Medley swimmers win the 100 medley relay by more than 3 seconds. Annam swam Butterfly and her twin sister Ayaan handled the Freestyle segment. They were joined by another sister duo: Tatum Murray swimming Backstroke and her older sister Kate doing the Breaststroke.

“We did not have much depth, with only eight girls and four boys competing, but we had our fair share of top finishers,” says Chandler Crosby, Head Age Group Coach. Among them:

Kate Murray – 1st place 25 Butterfly; 2nd place 25 Backstroke; 4th place 25 Breaststroke.

Tatum Murray – 1st place 25 Backstroke; 2nd place 25 Freestyle; 3rd place 25 Backstroke.

Ella Dequeljoe – 3rd place 25 Breaststroke; 8th place 25 Freestyle.

Ayaan Olasewere – 5th place 25 Breaststroke and 8th place 25 Freestyle.

The Girls Freestyle Relay took second place and consisted of Annam Olasewere, Ella Dequeljoe, Tatum Murray, and Kate Murray.

Our Water Rat 8 & Under Boys also performed well, led by:

Andrew Berkowitz – 3rd place 50 Freestyle; 4th place in 25 Freestyle, 25 Backstroke and 25 Butterfly.

Troy Kudrjavtsev – 3rd place 50 Backstroke; 4th place 25 Backstroke.

The next 8 & Under competition for our Water Rats will be at MIT in Boston on March 14, followed by Age Group Championships at Wesleyan University, March 13-15 and the YMCA All-Star Championship meet at Canterbury, March 20-22.

Our older Water Rats are also gearing up to compete in championship meets in coming weeks, starting this weekend with the CT Swimming Regional Championships hosted by the New Canaan YMCA and continuing with the Eastern Zones in Rochester, N.Y., and the YMCA Short Course Nationals in Greensboro, S.C.

Water Rat Trains for Paralympics

The Water Rat going the farthest this season to pursue his championship dreams?

It’s Matthew Torres, who will be competing in the Can-Am Para-swimming Championships in Toronto in March.

This remarkable young athlete was the subject of a recent front-page article in the Connecticut Post. Allow us to share the link, which includes video of Matthew training in our lap pool:

http://blog.ctnews.com/…/video-ansonia-teen-trains-for-par…/

“If everything goes as planned,” Matthew is quoted as saying, “I should be out in the Paralympics by 2020.” After that, he has set his sights on studying at Harvard, just like his hero, John F. Kennedy.

Matthew’s career goal? To perform scientific research on bionics. “I plan to help improve the lives of people who need help as far as getting arms or other limbs,” he told reporter Keila Torres Ocasio.

Asked if he ever faced a competition or challenge he couldn’t overcome, the 13-year-old replied, “If I do my best, I can overcome them.”

We’re with you all the way, Matthew! Go, WRATS – we’re proud of all of you.