Top local swimmers stroked
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

Simi Valley High and Conejo Simi Aquatics (CSA) member Wade Federer figures he's logged nearly 300 miles in the pool during practices and meets in the past year and a half.

Although he calls the amount of time he spends in the water "insane," Federer and six other high school senior swimmers were rewarded for all their hard work during the CSA's annual banquet held at Moorpark Country Club last Sunday afternoon.

The other honorees were Kevin Critchlow from Westlake High, Alex Sullivan of Newbury Park High and Emily Bibb, Laura DeCesare, Danielle Renee Sack and Genny Aamouth from La Reina High.

"Today was kind of sad because when you are younger in this league you never think that your last day is ever going to come," Bibb said. "Then that day does come like it did for me today and you realize just how fast your time in the CSA goes by."

Kids from all age groups received medals for swimming, but Bibb took home the biggest hardware when she was presented a trophy and the CSA Excellence Award. In the 17- to 18-year-old age group, Bibb is ranked 16th in the nation thanks to her time of 2:03.77 in the 200 freestyle this past season.

"I really wasn't expecting to get that award when the day started," Bibb said. "I have to thank everyone at CSA because without them I wouldn't be doing as well as I have been. I have to thank my coach, Mark Temple, since the help he has given me has been priceless."

Although Bibb went home with a trophy, it still doesn't compare to the Olympic gold medal earned by guest speaker Jason Lezak, who returned to talk at the banquet for the second time in three years.

Lezak discussed the obstacles he faced between the ages of 10 and 15 and how he overcame them.

"Not everyone should be competing in swimming to possibly earn a gold medal in the future, but everyone should be competing in swimming to have fun," Lezak said.

"There was a time where I lost sight of having fun while swimming and it really hurt me. I couldn't be out there accomplishing goals now if I was bored and wanted to quit. I had to like doing it first."

On Saturday, the seniors had the chance to practice with Lezak, then hang out and have dinner with him later that night.

"It was a really cool experience to swim with him," Critchlow said.

"After watching him swim just 100 yards you could see just how great of an athlete he is. He gave the seniors a lot of good advice later that night and told us he wasn't necessarily the best swimmer in high school but that he had stuck with it and gone on to greater things."

Moorpark High and CSA coach Garrett Rose echoed Lezak's statements about having fun in the pool.

"These kids that are here today, most of them are going to be future swimmers at the high school level, so we have to make sure they enjoy the sport," Rose said.

"Not often do you find this much talent from seniors in the same room. A day like this can be bittersweet because it's a chance for us to reward the seniors for all their hard work, but at the same time, they are leaving. It's our job as coaches to find kids to replace them."

Lori Hultin, of CSA Communications, said she was glad to have Lezak talk again at the banquet, which took 10 months to prepare.

"He has some great stories and he likes to talk and share his own experiences about when he was down and out in high school," Hultin said. "He is a great speaker, but more importantly, he is just a great guy."

Federer had only been in the CSA for a year and a half, but on Sunday he talked about how much it had changed him.

"Academically, I have gotten a lot better. And as a person I have become better because of CSA," Federer said. "Before joining CSA I used to joke about my teammates and people in general, and now I know that stuff like that is just inappropriate."

The banquet culminated with a half-hour video tribute made by the seniors and edited by board members. Many of the parents fought back tears as they watched old photos and their kids giving thanks on the big screen projector.

"My portion of the video that was around five minutes long was actually cut from a video that was over an hour long," Bibb said. "It's hard putting into just a couple of words how much CSA has meant to me."

Bibb, along with her teammate Sullivan, will be attending UCLA in the fall. Critchlow is heading to Yale, DeCesare will be at Cornell, Renee Sack will attend Stevens Institute of Technology and Aamouth will attend Lewis University. Federer is still undecided about his college choice.