OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST MEETS NOME SWIMMERS— Nome Northstar Swim Team members  Joetta Hubert, Aliyah Hensley, Piper Lewis, Kourtney Bogart, Ella Hubert, Lexi Blandford and Demi Pantelis met Olympic Gold Medalist Lydia Jacoby at the Water Bowl competition held last week in Anchorage

Nome swimmers compete in Anchorage

On February 4, 2022, 21 Nome Northstar Team swimmers attended the Water Bowl competition at Bartlett Pool in Anchorage, hosted by the Northern Lights Swim Team. The ages of the NNST competitors ranged from 6-years old to 15-years-old. Many of the swimmers were attending their first meet, but most of the Nome Team had some experience. 

Friday night’s highlight saw 9-year-old Denali Walrath —as the youngest swimmer from any team — successfully complete the grueling 500-yard Freestyle competition. Denali was required to complete a very difficult regimen of training sets during January to obtain coach and parental approval to attempt this swim.  “Denali is one of the most tenacious swimmers on the team, she set her goal and then made it happen” said Coach Melissa Ford.

Saturday brought a highlight of a different kind: One of the racers was none other than the Olympic Gold medalist from Alaska, Lydia Jacoby, who sailed over Nome’s Tyler Elanna with a fly-over start when she raced a 200-IM. Quite the incentive for Nome swimmers, as Lydia began her swimming career with another small Alaskan team, the Seward Tsunami Swim Club.

Three swimmers qualified for Age Group Competition:

Brandon Ford (age 10): 100FR at 1:22:51, 50FR at 34.42, 50BA at 44.47, 100BA at 1:37.69

Tyler Ellanna (age 10): 50BA at 46.81

Kinley Knipfer (age 9): 50BA at 45.44 

Brandon Ford also achieved his second Junior Olympics qualifying time this meet.

Nome Northstar Swim Team is currently fundraising to purchase a Colorado Timing system. This will allow more opportunities for Nome to host swim meets and will allow NNST swimmers to obtain qualifying times without the expense of travel. Current fundraising efforts and sponsorship commitments have raised 60 percent of the funding needed to purchase the equipment.

The Nome Nugget

PO Box 610
Nome, Alaska 99762
USA

Phone: (907) 443-5235
Fax: (907) 443-5112

www.nomenugget.net

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