Bozeman Barracudas 2022 State Champions

Bozeman Barracudas

2022 State Champions 2022 State Champions

After five years, the Montana State Short Course Swim Championship trophies are back in Bozeman, all three of them: Men’s, Women’s and Combined.

The story began last summer as the Barracudas team, stinging from a close loss, watched another team jump into “their” hometown pool, screaming and celebrating their win.

The look on the Cudas faces said it all. The swimmers told the coaches ‘We do not want to experience this again, ‘We want to win state next year.’”

But was it realistic to challenge a team from another city that had dominated the state for years, and which had just started a branch location in their pool? Could the Barracudas win?

They had a season to find out...and in February of 2022, they found themselves at the state meet in Butte with a powerful squad of swimmers ages 10 and under for timed-final races sandwiched between intense morning prelims and evening finals races for ages 11 and up in the Challenge and Senior groups.

Head Coach Hans Dersch shares some moments from the state meet:

“It’s Thursday, Cuda swimmers are counting laps for kids from other teams who don’t have a counter for the 1,000 freestyle... and they’re cheering for their competitors.

It’s Friday, only a few swims in and it’s clear that we are ready. Personal bests fall again and again, new cuts, team records, state records...

It’s Saturday, and I see Cudas shaking hands, highfiving and saying, ‘good luck,’ and ‘good race,’ to the kids next to them, win or lose. They are saying, ‘Thank you,’ to timers and officials, showing that Cuda class.

In the Butte YMCA natatorium our swimmers set up camp on the little peninsula that juts out into the splash pool. During finals, senior and resident math expert, Aeden DeGraw, is charting out team scores. Swimmers gather around him, trying not to get too excited.

It’s Sunday night at the team meeting before finals. Captain Cami Yovich breaks out a new cheer. Arms entwined, the Cudas form a circle:

‘I. I believe, I believe that… I believe that we… I believe that we can… I believe that we can win, I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN WIN. I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN WIN. I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN WIN!’

In that moment, we knew. And the whole building knew.

Swimmers show grit and determination, refusing to back down despite a few not feeling well as the overwhelmed pool begins to affect air quality. The Y shakes with the fury of finals freestyle relays, and then becomes almost silent as distant teams hurry out for the long drive home.

We gather behind the blocks, waiting for the announcer to speak the words we all know were coming, but we had to hear to it make it true.

‘In first place, your new State Champions…the Bozeman Barracudas!’

And it is OUR turn to jump into the pool and scream and cheer, and allow ourselves to celebrate this moment of utter joy and relief, and triumph and sweet sorrow because for some, this was their last race. And because Jack Moser, a Barracuda senior swimmer who tragically died in a motor vehicle accident in the fall of 2021 was also with us too, and no one had to say it.”

The Bozeman Barracudas are a family, and a family who celebrates all.

Two Barracuda swimmers recently signed Letters of Intent to swim at the collegiate level. Annika Mittelsteadt will be swimming at Chapman University in Orange, California and Cami Yovich will be swimming at Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey.

For more information about the State Championship Bozeman Barracuda Swim Club, you can contact Team Manager and Lead Senior Coach Lisa Patchin at coachlisa@ bozemanbarracudas.org or Head Coach Hans Dersch at coachhans@bozemanbarracudas. org.