Spirit of Swimming

A late November afternoon in La Mirada, California, Kelsey Wasikowski was dancing her heart out with her teammates. Together they all jumped around, while yelling the lyrics to Fergalicious. To an outsider, the team may look like a goofy group of girls with nothing to do, however, it is just the opposite, this is how her teammates warm up Wasikowski for her race to come, the 200 yard breaststroke.

By the time Wasikowski stepped onto the blocks, the sun had set and the moon had risen, just like her feelings. Any anxieties the girl could’ve had were left somewhere back home in Eugene, Oregon. Feelings of joy and power now rush through Wasikowski.

Once she broke the surface of the water, everything froze in time, for a mere fraction of a second, and then no one could catch up. No thoughts ran through her head, just passion and adrenaline streaming through body and mind. As Wasikowski hit the wall she was met with the roars of her teammates, cheering for her success and her first ever U.S. Open qualifying time. Despite being placed in the second fastest heat, her time beat seven other top finalists. She had just swam the second fastest female 200 breaststroke at the 2022 Kevin B Perry Senior Meet.

is a collegiate baseball coach. She’s lived in Arizona, Oregon, Indiana, and now resides in Oregon once again. Moving around so much made it hard for her to find any sense of normalcy. Throughout her childhood Wasikowski tried to find some interest that would stick.

“[Swimming] was the one sport that I would actually stick with, especially when I was in elementary school, when I was trying all the sports…I was moving around a lot, and so it was the only thing that stayed the same in every place,” says Wasikowski.

Swimming became the backbone of her life, and she threw herself into the sport, finding a release for negative emotion, a place where she eventually found herself. But she understands it cannot rule her life. Often, when she’s away from her sport, she tries to forget it exists, separating it from her life completely. Wasikowski surrounds herself with friends, going out and having fun. Having an identity outside of being a swimmer is huge, with the time it takes up, training before and after school, making sure to eat healthy, avoiding illness, it can be easy to forget to make time to be a kid.

Ever since Wasikowski was 6 years old, she’s been swimming competitively. Up until high school, Wasikowski moved around quite a bit, as her father

“I try to give myself a really good mental break,” says Wasikowski. “Usually, when we take a break from swimming, it’s right after the end of big championship meets,” referring to the two-week long break swimmers take in August, “and having backto-back meets, weekend after weekend, as well as, all the stress is a lot. So I take the time to… do my hobbies and kind of just exercise my brain in different ways.”

Above all, it’s important to find a happy medium, where different aspects of Wasikowski’s life can co-exist together. As a senior at Churchill High School, she competes on the high school swim team. Here she has the opportunity to be an ordinary high-schooler and earn points through meets to help her school remain on top in Oregon’s 5A division. During Wasikowski’s time as a high school athlete, she has left a major impact on her school and the Midwestern League, holding numerous school records, district and state titles. To top that she holds a 5A state record, though she didn’t earn it by herself.

On February 17, 2022, Wasikowski’s childhood teammate, and best friend, passed away. The next day she found herself at the OSAA 5A State Championships, competing in the 100 breaststroke, her friend’s number one event. Prior to this race Wasikowski wouldn’t have considered breaststroke to be her best stroke. Diving into the water she knew she wasn’t alone in her lane, she felt her friend’s spirit within her, racing with her. This landed Wasikowski the state title, 5A record, and a new Junior National qualifying time.

“Every time I swim breaststroke, I’m always thinking about her,” Wasikowski shares. “I give credit to her for the reason I’m good at breaststroke. I feel like she’s swimming through me..”

After that race, Wasikowski found herself surrounded with love, by her teammates, coaches, family, and other adoring swimmers. It had been a therapeutic and enlightening race. Although the attention she gained isn’t just a one-time thing, being the humble and kind athlete she is. People are drawn to her, race after race. Through all her efforts and constant pushes, Wasikowski’s diligent training has earned her a scholarship to swim for the University of Arizona.

Moving around throughout her childhood, learning to find balance, and experiencing loss, all have built Wasikowski into the athlete she is today. At a pool full of hundreds of swimmers, you’d think it would be hard to identify someone you’re looking for. Though if you are looking for Wasikowski it’d be harder to not find her, as she shines bright as the sun with her warm smile, and funky dance moves.