Amherst totally immersed for success
Girls swimming
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Michelle Niblock, far left, Eva Lankes, Ellie Poleon, Kaelyn Sullivan and Sarah Masters will look to excel at ECICs and the Section VI Championships for Amherst. Niblock, Lankes, Sullivan and Masters are all returning ECIC champions. Niblock and Poleon are team captains.

When Amherst hits the pool this fall, they'll be a pioneer of sorts. That's because the Lady Tigers are one of the first girls swimming teams in the area to include total immersion into its training.

So what is total immersion? Lady Tigers coach Kim Skomra explains.

"Total immersion is a technique based swim program that uses balance and body rotation to move through the water," she said. "We use a series of drills and progressions to achieve this economy in the water. The theory is there is less drag and, therefore, less resistance. Instead of doing thousands of yards with poor form, we swim fewer yards than most teams but with more focus on body position and mindful swimming."

Skomra and assistant Debbie Sullivan are big believers in total immersion. As a team fundraiser, Skomra brought in the founder of total immersion, Terry Laughlin, in January for a clinic at Canisius College. Over 80 area coaches attended. Amherst team members served as demonstration swimmers.

The program has shown immediate results. Last year, Amherst crowned several champions at ECICs, who are returning this season.

Back is junior Eva Lankes, winner of the ECIC 50-yard freestyle and three out of four legs of the winning 200 free relay including Lankes, senior co-captain Michelle Niblock and junior Kaelyn Sullivan.

Lankes was also an ECIC finalist in the 100 backstroke and section semifinalist in the 100 back and 50 free. Skomra said Lankes hopes to qualify for states in the 50 free.

Niblock, an ECIC finalist in the individual medley and butterfly, and Sullivan, an ECIC finalist in the breaststroke and 100 free, return in those events.

Junior co-captain Ellie Poleon will replace graduated senior Brianne Burton on the 200 free relay. She will also swim the 200 and 500 free.

The team's strongest member is senior Sarah Masters, the defending ECIC 1-meter diving champion. Masters just missed the state cut at last year's sectionals. Skomra said Masters has never qualified for states.

It's been a tough high school career for Masters. She's been the only diver at Amherst since she started as a seventh grader and, up until last year, could not dive at home meets because Amherst's pool did not have a diving board. (Since last year, Amherst swims all home meets at Sweet Home.)

In the preseason, Masters practiced at Sweet Home and when the team wasn't practicing there, she went to the University at Buffalo to train with her club team, Wings Diving. She also trained at Lockport High School.

"It's hard for her and hard for us because Deb and I are not diving coaches," said Skomra. "She has had to use her tremendous background from diving in big-time meets to get her through (high school) seasons."

Other seniors on the roster are Emilie Byrd (50 free), Emily Call (200, 500 free), Kristin Scaringi (200, 500 free), Allie Bauer (100 breast), Hannah Bleichfeld (100 breast) and Justy Jacobi (relays).

Seven new swimmers who Skomra said will help the team are eighth graders Charlotte Drozda (200 IM, 100 fly) and Morgan Lempko (freestyle relays); freshmen Joanna Bardak (breaststroke, freestyle, 200 and 400 free relays), Julia Buscaglia (freestyle relay), Miranda Jacobi (50 free, freestyle relay), Kinsey Kolega (freestyle and medley relays), Alison Scaringi (freestyle and medley relays), and Abby Gaulin (team manager); sophomores Jordan Beamer (butterfly, 200 and 400 free relays) and Larissa Kumm (100 back, medley relay); and junior Jen Burke (100 back, medley relay).

Amherst's biggest weakness is something out of its control, depth.

"We can compete with anybody," said Skomra. "If you're watching one of our meets, it looks like we're winning but because we don't have as many girls as other teams, we get hurt with depth. If we can get some of those fifth and sixth places as well as third and fourths, it will give us a chance to compete with teams that are twice our size."

Amherst finished 4-1 last year. Skomra is hoping for a 7-2 mark this fall and for several of her swimmers to win at ECICs, place in the section finals and qualify for states.

Amherst hosted Starpoint in its opener at Sweet Home on Tuesday, but results were unavailable before The Bee went to press.
Amherst Central
2007 Schedule
9-25 Cheektowaga ....... 4:30 p.m.
9-28 at Maryvale .......... 4:30 p.m.
10-2 Lake Shore........... 4:30 p.m.
10-5 at Iroquois............ 4:30 p.m.
10-10 at Pioneer........... 4:30 p.m.
10-12 East ..................... 4:30 p.m.
10-16 at South .............. 4:30 p.m.
10-19 W.S. East ............ 4:30 p.m.
10-25 ECIC swimming prelims
(Sweet Home)...................... TBA
10-26 ECIC diving (Sweet Home)
.................................................. TBA
10-27 ECIC swimming finals
(Sweet Home)...................... TBA
11-8 Section VI Championships
swimming prelims (ECC-City)
.................................................. TBA
11-9 Section VI Championships
diving (Fredonia State College)
.................................................. TBA
11-10 Section VI Championships
swimming finals (ECC-City)
.................................................. TBA
* All home meets are at Sweet
Home.
e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com