Leavenworth swim team wraps up another successful season at league champs meet

WENATCHEE – Under bright blue skies at the Wenatchee City Pool on Saturday, July 27, the Wenatchee Valley Summer Swim League’s (WVSSL) season culminated with its annual championships. Six hundred racers, aged 6-18, from Leavenworth, Ephrata, Wenatchee, Quincy, Waterville, East Wenatchee, and Cashmere took to the starting blocks with hopes of ribbons, personal records, and fun. 

The six weekly dual meets between the seven teams have been a summer rite of passage in the greater Wenatchee Valley since the volunteer-run, recreational league was established in 1987. All kids are welcome, with the only barrier to entry being the ability to swim 25 yards. Most teams even hold pre-season sessions to get swimmers prepped.

The Leavenworth Swim Team (LST) was coached this summer by Carson Rieke, who was assisted by Tierra Groff, David Ising, and Isabel Menna, all of whom are LST and Cascade High School alumni. Rieke, who has been in his position for the last three years, relates: “My parents signed me up for swim team when I was nine or ten, and I haven’t looked back since.”

WVSSL and LST both emphasize the importance of teamwork, perseverance, and sportsmanship. The league’s structured practices, which in Leavenworth begin after school lets out for the year and are held five mornings a week at the city’s Howard Hopkins Memorial Pool, provide, as the league states, “young athletes with opportunities to set personal goals, work hard to achieve them, and celebrate their successes. Workouts give kids a chance to perfect their swim skills, improve their fitness, and experience the fun of being part of a team.”

The weekly meets and end-of-season champs are lively community events. Parents and spectators cheer enthusiastically from the poolside, creating a highly social atmosphere of encouragement and support. 

Reflecting on the season, during which Leavenworth won all but one of its dual meets and finished second at champs, Rieke stated: “Regardless of race results, we gauge our season by how well we have helped to grow strong swimmers and create a culture of community. All these brave kids who get up every morning at the crack of dawn and push themselves. We strive to make that fun. That’s how we measure success. And personally, I just love getting to know all these little humans.”

“What’s really special about the Leavenworth Swim Team is that it's becoming a self-perpetuating program: all the coaches were once on the team, some will hopefully become board members one day, and then have their own kids in the pool.”  

For more information about the LST and WVSSL, visit their websites at https://www.leavenworthswimteam.com and  www.wvssl.org.

Caroline Menna is an intern for Ward Media and a rising senior (Class of 2025) at Cascade High School. She will serve as Editor-in-Chief of the Cascade High School Publications Group for the 2024-2025 academic year.