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By Jay Spivey

For the Clemmons Courier

CLEMMONS — Senior Katie Kennedy of West Forsyth has been swimming for much of her life.

But as her career as a swimmer is winding down in the final few weeks of the season, she has come to have an almost love-hate relationship with the sport that has given her so much the past 10 years.

“Last year, I got more into 200(-yard freestyle) and 100 free because I moved away from breaststroke because we also gained a really good breaststroker. Her name’s Kaidy Stout,” Kennedy said. “So, she kind of took over breaststroke for me. So, she became like our main breaststroker. And I started moving into freestyle.”

Switching from breaststroke to freestyle took some getting used to.

“I kind of stopped getting faster and stopped dropping a lot of time in it,” Kennedy said. “And I guess I just stopped training in it as much the past couple years.

“So, it wasn’t like, I don’t know, it’s kind of like I like being a breaststroker. You know, I’m a breaststroker, but I don’t miss it all that much. I really like being a freestyler and doing shorter freestyle events.”

Despite her love of the breaststroke, Kennedy hit the wall, so to speak.

“I would say there was a component of that,” she said. “Yeah, I guess I just stopped enjoying it as much…Especially like in with club swimming (with TYDE), like doing those events. But also, it’s harder, like because we train a lot of freestyle. We train
a lot of freestyle and so it’s just kind of hard to maintain that training of another stroke, I guess. That may have played a part.”

This season, Kennedy has swum in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle, as well 200 and 400 free relays for the Titans and Coach Sandy Thomerson.

“It’s definitely been like been trying to hold on to everything. I’m trying to make it more about the people and friends – just savoring every moment, every meet, every bus ride, every dinner – because it’s the last one,” Kennedy said. “And like, I don’t know, I think it’s just the end of a lot of things. It’s been exciting and I’m just trying to savor it, at least.”

Kennedy is one of 10 seniors on the girls swimming team at West Forsyth. Thomerson had originally announced that she was resigning after last season. But she announced that she wanted to resign after this season to go out at the same time as the 10 seniors.

“You don’t see (the burnout) by her performances by any means, but you can kind of see her spirit just, you know, that the excitement isn’t there that it was the first couple years,” Thomerson said. “Which, to be honest, is sad, but I see it a lot of swimmers.”

A coach can only give so much motivation.

“You can give as much advice as you can,” Thomerson said. “You know, I remember going through it. Heck, that was a long time ago. You know, everybody experiences plateaus and it, rediscover the love you have for swimming. And you can, as much as you try, you can’t make it happen.

“And if they’re not into it, and I find it harder and harder every year it gets more difficult to keep people into it.”

One thing that helps is just realizing that freestyle is the best way to help the Titans.

“I really think it has just because like, I don’t know, my relationship with swimming has changed a lot,” Kennedy said. “I’ve kind of like, I’ve lost my drive for it a little bit. But I really want to hang on to freestyle and actually get better, especially
last year and this year because this year the groups that I train with is almost exclusively sprint. This is with club.

“And so, we train sprint and so I’ve been training a lot sprint free, which I’ve been I’ve been able to improve and like really basically maintain my speed with freestyle.”

That mindset is paying dividends.

“So, that’s kind of kept me going, I guess, in this last year,” Kennedy said. “So, I’ve enjoyed getting to train freestyle.”

Thomerson has seen many swimmers go through the ebbs and flows.

“Like Ethan Frondoza left. He quit his senior year. And he made states in both events last year, yeah,” Thomerson said. “And then Kaidy Stout didn’t come back now. And she’s a sophomore, and obviously had some Olympic aspirations with success. But yeah, it’s hard to keep ‘em swimming.”

The zeal Kennedy had for swimming is not just with West Forsyth, it’s with TYDE, her club team.

“It’s been honestly just burnout,” she said. “I’ve been swimming for so long and competitively for so long. And I don’t know, I guess like, I don’t enjoy it as much as I used to – the competition. And a lot of my friends have felt the same way. A lot of them
have lost their passion and drive for it, as well. So, that makes it a little bit harder to keep going.”

Despite her passion waning, Kennedy realizes she still has to train to do the best she possibly can for the Titans.

“It’s hard and I’ve been just been kind of been hanging on and hanging on, mostly for high school, honestly,” she said. “I haven’t really been swimming any meets for club like this past two years.”

Attrition is the name of the game in sports these days where almost every sport is year-round.

“I think it’s a mixture (of attrition and the way youth sports are set up),” Thomerson said. “Yeah, you put it all that work. It’s not a back line. It’s not a game. It’s not fun and games you played with teammates like that. But I do see when you have more
camaraderie and just having fun together it tends to hold them.”

Kennedy admitted that team bonding is one of the things that keeps her going to the pool.

“And so, high school is like, I’m mainly am doing club to stay in shape for high school. To me, where I’ve been the past two years…and honestly, to honor my friends and to honor Sandy because I am a senior and I feel like I should go off on a good note and stay, maintain where I was for this last season.”

That leads to the relationship the Kennedy, the other seniors, and Thomerson have with each other.

“I think it ended up perfect,” Thomerson said. “So, as much as I hate, it will always be juniors. But I hate missing it for next year, but, you know, it was overwhelming this year, and so, I think it’ll be a good time.”

West has just two scheduled meets – this Wednesday against Davie County and Reynolds and Friday in a nonconference meet with Oak Grove – before the Central Piedmont 4-A championship.

“It’s been tough because everybody’s been sick,” Thomerson said. “…It’s been quite a juggle, and then with the holidays and stuff. So, I know. I’m not sure. I’m hoping over the next week I can come up with some sort of an array of events so that I can see what everybody can do because I haven’t had a chance.”

One of those sick people is Kennedy.

“Unfortunately, I’ve had COVID (the last) week,” she said. “…But we have two meets (this) week, actually. So, I’m hoping I’ll be good to go for them.”

The seniors realize the legacy that they, along with Thomerson, will have left after this season is over.

“I think it’s going to be the end of the chapter, obviously, for all of us,” Kennedy said. “I think we’ve all had a good time swimming with West and with each other. It’s united us. So, I don’t know. I don’t know about legacy, but this year is going to be is a good year. And I’m glad to be going out this year.”

The NCHSAA Class 4-A Central Regional is scheduled for Feb. 1 at Greensboro Aquatic Center and the state championship is the following. The Class 4-A championship is the following weekend.

“I think swimming at West, it taught me a lot about just being a part of a team because the high-school swimming environment, it’s a little bit less pressure than club swimming,” Kennedy said. “It’s so team-oriented and I really enjoy experiencing that aspect of it. Like, everyone is cheering for everyone and the relays, it’s so exciting, you know. The meets, especially conference, like everyone is so engaged and just enthusiastic about their team and what’s going on. So, it’s really special to be a part of that.”

Although swimming is soon to be in Kennedy’s rear-view mirror, she has used it as a catalyst for school. With a 3.9 GPA, Kennedy said she hopes to go to N.C. State or North Carolina to major in environmental science.

“I took AP environmental science last year and I really liked it,” she said. “It was very interesting to me, and I had a very good teacher, who was very engaging. So, mainly that’s the reason and I’ve always been interested in science. It’s my favorite subject, and I’m interested in conservation and the conservation side of it. And so, I’m just excited to learn more about the environment, and you know, people’s interaction and impact on it.”