Swimmer of the Year

Ringing in the New Year gives us much to look forward to, but it also affords us the opportunity to look back over the past year.  One highlight of 1999 was the CSI Awards Banquet.  It is at this banquet that we honor those swimmers, coaches and volunteers  for their outstanding achievements and contributions.  Nearly 400 swimmers were recognized for  the Top 16 swims in each individual event, 28 scholar-athletes were recognized  for academic and athletic excellence, but top honors went to Dan Shevchik (WYW) who was named, for the second consecutive year, Swimmer of the Year.  Dan's swimming accolades are indeed impressive.   Named to the USA Swimming Pan Am team, Dan accompanied the U.S. team to Winnipeg, Canada for the 1999 Pan Am Games where he earned a bronze medal in the 200 Backstroke. FINA World Rankings placed Dan 13th, world wide,  earning him a berth on the USA Swimming National B Team.  1997 Summer Junior Championships brought Dan the High-Point and closer to home, Dan now holds two YMCA National records, two CIAC Class M records and fifteen CSI records. Dan's success is not only found in the swimming arena, but academically as well.   For two consecutive years, Dan has been the male top-scorer in the USA Swimming's Scholastic All-America Team.  At Wilton High School Dan achieved top honors as the U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar-Athlete Award recipient, a National Merit Finalist, 1998 Bausch and Lomb Science Award and, as a sophomore, was Wilton's top-scorer in the  American High School Mathematics Examination. Dan currently attends Harvard University and swims for the Harvard Men's Team. 

Due to popular request, below are Dan's remarks given upon accepting his award.  Those attending found these remarks particularly inspiring and befitting to all in the swimming community. 

Since this is my last CT swimming banquet, I would like to say a few words. First, I’d like to say thank you, to my parents, to my coaches (especially Brooks Ensor, Jeff Allen & Tim Murphy), to my teammates, to the entire Wilton Wahoo organization, to all of the competitors and friends whom I have met over the years, and to CT Swimming which has provided the opportunity for me to win an award like this.

Second, I have one favor to ask of all the parents here today. Please let your kids develop a love and respect for swimming on their own. If your children are going to develop a passion for the sport, it can’t be because someone else wants them to; it has to come from within themselves.

Most importantly, I’d like to say something to the Age Group swimmers. If you have high aspirations and high goals in swimming don’t be overly concerned about your success relative to your peers as an age-grouper. No 10-year-old ever made the Olympic Team. You may have heard that Olympic gold medallist Pablo Morales failed his first swimming lesson. I personally never won an event at Age Groups until 3 months before my 15^th birthday and still have never won a backstroke Age Group event. I never made Winter Zones until I was 14 and that was only because the guys who were supposed to go went to other meets. So make sure you are having fun with swimming whether you’re first, last, or in the middle of the pack. If you dream of making an Olympic Team or swimming in the National Championships you don’t need to worry about these goals at least until you get to high school, if not later. And even if you don’t ever reach these goals, you will find that there is a lot more to swimming than winning medals and ribbons. Over the course of my career, I have made life-long friends (including some of my most fierce competitors) that I can’t imagine my life without. That is what made swimming worthwhile for me.

On an ending note, I will almost guarantee that at some point you will struggle with your swimming. Try not to give up too quickly. If you can work through it you will learn a lot about yourself and be a stronger person and better swimmer because of it.

I’ve been a CT swimmer and, closest to my heart, a Wilton Wahoo for more than half my life. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of it.

Other notable recipients at the Awards Banquet were Cliff Johnson, Cristin Millen (formerly Carpisassi) and Leanne Spletzer.  Cliff Johnson received the Age Group Coach of the Year.  Cliff finds himself in his 27th year of coaching and claims his time is well-spent coaching kids in the wonderful sport of swimming.  Senior Coach of the Year recipient was Cristin Millen.  Cristin, a former competitive swimmer herself, has enjoyed coaching for many years.  Leanne Spletzer was awarded the Phillips Petroleum Outstanding Service Award.  This is awarded annually to an outstanding volunteer.  Leanne is credited with 15 plus years of volunteer service at the club, LSC and national level.  

Kudos to all!