Lemont Dolphins Preparing for Junior Olympic Championships

The season begins on a cold, clear morning. Swimmers look nervously at the still water, anticipating the moment when their skin touches the water, they breathe in a sharp inhale, and take their first strokes toward success. The season ends in blistering heat where drinking water becomes the ingredient to sustaining swimmer performance throughout the championship season. Despite the reluctance of the swimmers to jump into the cold Centennial Pool water, there is an undeniable motivation to improve, succeed, and win for the Dolphins of the Lemont Park District.

This expression of motivation will culminate over the next two weekends for the Lemont Dolphins as they compete at the Illinois Junior Olympic Age Group Championships in Pleasant Prairie, WI and the Illinois Senior Championships. The Lemont Dolphins will be bringing the second largest contingent of swimmers to Junior Olympic from the southwest suburbs. The Dolphins will be sending eleven swimmers ranging in ages from 9 years old to 14 years old in 23 individual events and 3 relays.

Participating in individual events are Sylvia Kobylak (Lemont), Colin Treanor (Lemont), Brandon Johnson (Lemont), Joey Countryman (Hometown), and Matthew Johnson (Lockport). The Dolphins have also qualified 3 relays for Junior Olympics. The 12 & Under Boys Free Relay consists of Joey Countryman, Colin Treanor, Michael Erickson (Lockport), and Brandon Johnson. The 10 & Under Boys Free Relay consists of Dylan Rusco (Lemont), Kevin Hackiewicz (Lemont), Brendon Tor (Lemont), and Matthew Johnson. The 10 & Under Boys Medley Relay consists of Luke Zolecki (Lemont), Matas Gaidukevicius(Lemont), Matthew Johnson, and Dylan Rusco.

The championship season culminates with the Illinois Senior Championships August 4-7, 2016 at the University of Illinois at Chicago Natatorium in Chicago, Illinois. Representing the Lemont Dolphins is Sylvia Kobylak and Grace Walter (Plainfield). Both swimmers will be competing in individual events.

In addition to these final championship state meets, the Lemont Dolphins competed at Regionals at Lincoln Way Central High School on July 22-24, 2016 placing 7th out of 24 teams. The Lemont Dolphins also competes in the Western Suburban Conference during the summer season – they placed 3rd in A Conference. We are a “recreational team with competitive opportunities”, so if you have a child between the ages of 6-18 years old who are interested in trying out the swim team this fall, you can visit the Lemont Dolphins website at http://www.lemontparkdistrict....Written By: Ashleigh Thomas