By Tom Rohrer
Amongst the cheering and chaos at the 2A District IV girls swimming championships at the Evergreen State College last weekend, some local student athletes earned an opportunity to compete against the state’s best at one of the sport’s best facilities.
Following a third place finish, behind district champion Mark Morris and runner up Tumwater High School, Capital High School, led by longtime coach Burke Anderson, will be sending several swimmers to the 2A State Championship meet, which will be held at the renowned King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way from Friday, Nov. 9, through Saturday, Nov. 10.
Competing at the 2A level for the first time in over a decade, the Cougar team is competitive yet unified, creating a winning environment that has Anderson, who led CHS to a 4A team state title in 2001, optimistic for the weekend.
“I think the key to any successful team is good team chemistry, and most of these girls have been swimming together a long time and are familiar with one another,” Anderson said. “Moving to 2A is just fun to be competitive, so competitive that we have an opportunity to win state titles.”
Four Cougar swimmers who will be making an appearance within various events at the state meet are senior Hansi Willoughby, sophomores Jessica Eidenmuller and Janessa Schulte and freshmen Jada Pearson. Together, the four swam to a district championship in the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay, defeating the favored quartet from Mark Morris by only a few tenths of a second. The victory was somewhat surprising to the Cougar-quad, but their consistent preparation and positive attitude allowed them to swim to a remarkable victory in a charged atmosphere.
“It was so unexpected, none of us were expecting it,” Willoughby said. “We dropped so much time. It was incredible. We just went all out and won.”
“That just pumps us up,” Pearson said of the crowd at the district championship. “It was crazy. We were like ‘is this really happening?’ When Mark Morris is right there next to us…it just motivates us to do our best.”
“As long as you give 100 percent, you should be happy with any outcome,” Schulte said. “That’s the mindset you need in every race.”
With talented swimmers across the board, the CHS team has competition amongst themselves every day at practice. To increase that competition, Anderson keeps a board near the pool which displays district and state championship times for each event. That constant competition and motivation has helped push the Cougar swimmers to the brink of a championship.
“We always motivate each other and being as competitive as we are helps,” Eidenmuller said. “We really push each other.”
Each member of the CHS 4 x 200 freestyle relay team will compete in multiple events at the state meet. This requires extreme focus and the ability to move on from a previous event or race no matter the outcome.
“I just take it one at a time,” Willoughby said. “I try not to overthink anything too much. I just try to take it as it comes.”
“We stay focused on one event,” Pearson said. “After that, I just put it behind me and move on to the next one.”
The girls believe the coaching and demeanor put forth by Anderson has pushed them to their high levels of success.
“We wouldn’t be where we are without our coach,” Eidenmuller said.
“He teaches the proper technique,” Schulte said. “When you learn how to swim the right way, you’ll learn how to swim the fast way,”
“Burke is the best supportive coach I can ask for,” Willoughby said. “No matter how we perform, he always encourages us.”
Handling the pressure of a state championship meet is something Anderson thinks the girls can overcome.
“There’s no doubt they know there is competition,” Anderson said. “They’re going to be at the best facility around that has had the greatest swimmers pass through. The girls own (their district championship) and they know they have pressure to keep it.”
At the state meet, CHS will again be up against the Mark Morris relay team, and the girls think the outcome will be the same.
“We’re shooting for first,” Pearson said of the relay team’s expectations. “We beat them once so we can beat them again.”
For Anderson, the dream season will go as long as it possibly could, and the CHS team’s success has brought the coach back to some familiar feelings.
“I feel that same energy that I felt (when CHS won the 4A State title),” Anderson said. “The kids are upbeat and know we have a competitive team. It’s been great; it’s been a fun year.”
