Summer team is a family endeavor (07/05/03)

PORTLAND — It is not at all uncommon for brothers and sisters, or even twins, to play on the same athletic teams. They are often the subject of interviews and stories, especially if they are team leaders and/or stars.

But, it is the sheer numbers which make the Jay County Summer Swim Team such an impressive family affair.

Of the about 100 swimmers involved in the program, almost half have a brother or sister also taking to the water nearby. There are 23 different sets of siblings on the team, including three sets of three.

“I think it’s good because if we’ve gotten more than one of the siblings from a family, we’ve got the parents support,” said Bev Arnold, who coaches the swimmers ages 10-and-younger during the summers. “I know we’ve got them on board.”

The family double-takes this year include one of two groups of Millers, along with the Fennigs, Teagles, Dunns, Steins, Imels, Kellys, Suttons, Skivers, Pettyjohns, Eldridges, Osterholts, Hudsons, Canes, Inmans, Freemans, Bowens, Caseys and Culys. There are also the duos of Lucas Holcomb and Kristen Foreman, and Ryan Sutton and Katelin Michael.

Then there are the family trios: Sam, Alysha and Emilee Miller; Cori, Annie and Sok Vormohr; and Ashley, Nikisha and Nathaniel Imel.

Arnold, who is in her 39th year of work with the team, said the family connections have been around since the beginning in the 1960s. One of the groups she mentioned from those times was Glen and Mary Bryant and their children.

The Bryant family continued to show that family connection in June when the Catalina Swim Club of Muncie came to the Portland Pool to swim against Jay County. That evening six of Glen and Mary’s grandchildren — Maddie and Neal Fennig and Alex and Molly Sutton of Jay County, and Heidi Bryant and Kendall Bryant of Catalina — all took to the pool in competition.

Another grandchild, Emily Coers, served as a Catalina coach, while the parents and grandparents watched them all.

Maddie and Neal both said it was fun to have the whole family involved in one meet.

As for the day-to-day activities of the Summer Swim Team, “It’s fun, because I can beat her,” Neal said of his sister.

Maddie quickly shot back by pointing out the fact that the pair doesn’t even swim against each other.

However, they were able to agree that swimming with their friends is part of what keeps them coming back.

“It’s just a fun sport,” said Maddie.

The Miller trio also pointed to competition as an important part of the team, but more in an us-against-the-world view.

“Usually we just see who can get the most medals by the end of the year,” said Sam.

And while Sam swims in the 11-12-year-old boys age group, Alysha and Emilee sometimes have to go head-to-head in the 9-10-year-old girls age group.

“It’s cool,” said Alysha. “We get to race against each other.”

Arnold recalled a recent meet when she purposely tried to make her team’s relays balanced, hoping for a race to the finish. She got just that, with Emilee leading her sister as the final leg began, only to have Alysha just outreach her at the wall.

“They were really good about it,” said Arnold. “They all know they’re still teammates and they’re working for the team. It’s probably fun being able to beat your brother or sister, but we’re all working toward a common goal.”

“(Alysha and Emilee) are kind of each developing their own stronger strokes. They’re each going to be successful in different areas.”

Cori Vormohr, the oldest of the clan, has been the most successful swimmer in the program for the past several season. She has broken several records already this year, but her contribution to her siblings may be greater than her success in the water.

If you see Cori, almost inevitably you will see Annie or Sok, or both, somewhere nearby. Usually if one of the family is in the water, the other two are at the finish cheering them on.

Annie tries to help her sister “by cheering, go Cori,” she said.

“(Annie) competes with my times that I had when I was younger,” added Cori. “Sok just likes to be with us.”

Often it takes quite an effort for five-year-old Sok to make it all the way to the opposite end of the pool. But, he always has his sisters there cheering him on — and ready to buy him some nachos or candy when the race is done.

“I see brothers and sisters helping each other a lot,” said Arnold. “I think that’s Cori Vormohr’s nature. She’s always right there at the end of the lane cheering Sok or Anne, or even cousin Sophie (Bader). Siblings are really helpful, the older ones for the younger ones. The younger ones are always right there cheering for the older ones too.”

Arnold has plenty of experience with that phenomena, as she once had all four of her children — Jason, Andrea, Abby and Derek — on the summer team at the same time. She said Andrea wanted to swim, while Jason wanted to quit after the first day.

After convincing him to give the sport a one-day second chance, Jason returned saying, “‘I loved it, it was great.,’” said Arnold. “By the time Abby and Derek came along, nobody ever questioned that (they) would be on the team.”

When it was all said and done, Derek was just beginning his swimming career as Jason was finishing on his way to Indiana University.

The family tradition for the Arnolds and everyone else doesn’t stop at just brother and sister groups, and it extends well beyond the water.

Abby has now become a coach for the 11-and-older swimmers along with Taylor Fullenkamp, who is a cousin to the Vormohr’s. The pair has stepped in this season as Barry Weaver is taking the summer off.

Derek is coaching the Union City summer swimmers this year.

“It’s fun to coach with Abby,” Arnold said, “and it’s always been fun to coach with Andrea.

“Abby and Taylor are just wonderful. I can’t speak highly enough of them. They have just really stepped in and taken over great. I’m excited that we have some younger people interested in our swimming program.”

The swimming program also chugs along each year thanks to parental support. It can take upwards of 30 volunteers — working stopwatches, running the concession stand and tabulating results among other things — to run a summer swim meet.

“We can’t do that without the parents,” said Arnold. “It takes a whole family effort to run our program.

“We’re really seeing it this year,” she added, talking of a new generation of families getting involved. “We have a really new group of parents learning the different jobs. I’m pleased with that too, that they’re willing to step in.”

In the end, Arnold said she believes a lot of kids become swimmers because it’s more fun to be in the water than sitting in the stands.

“I guess when you go to a meet, if you’re going to be there, you might as well compete,” she said. “If you’re the sibling who’s sitting on the sideline, I don’t think that would be much fun.”[[In-content Ad]]