Kaiser Finishes Swim Season Undefeated, Earns Three State Titles

The Courier readers have seen a bit of Katie Kaiser in recent issues. She has been recognized for her efforts in leading the snack pack program that is aimed at providing snacks to kids so they can focus on school instead of hunger. She is also a consistent feature in the sports section as she participates in track, hockey, cross country, swimming and wrestling.

Now, she has triplicate gold medals from one weekend of competition and an undefeated swim season.

Kaiser competed at the state swim meet in Conrad Aug. 4 and 5 and swept all of her events, bringing home three gold medals and her eighth consecutive high-point trophy. She shattered two pool records and swam her all-time best in the 100m backstroke, finishing in 1:13.39 and securing her sixth-consecutive title in the event.

The swim season in Glasgow is short, but full. It starts the first weekend in June and there are meets held each weekend until the first part of August, while practices are held during the week.

Swim team means different things for everybody. It can be an intense, competitive experience for some, but for others it can be a fun opportunity to socialize. Kaiser, who has been on the swim team for 11 years, likes a little of both. "I like the competition and the rush I get from that," she explains, "I'm not good at racing the clock. I need someone to push me." It's not all about the racing for her, though. She enjoys establishing and cultivating relationships and spending time with her team too.

It is apparent that Kaiser is competitive. She has had success in several different sports as a Scottie and on the ice as an Ice Dawg. Swimming, however, is her favorite, and it shows. "I really think that swimming is one of the ultimate sports," she said. "It's something you can do if you're 90 years-old or if you're four years-old."

Kaiser competed in the senior girls age division, which means she raced against girls that are 15 years-old or older. The division was full of seasoned and accomplished swimmers, and Kaiser didn't lose a single race to any of them this summer. "I'm good at digging deep and going for it when it really matters," said Kaiser of her success.

She admits that she hasn't always had the success she's been experiencing recently. "I didn't even make it to state the first two years I was in swim team," she explained. "And, when I did make it to state my third year, I placed 12th."

For Kaiser, though, it was all part of the process. "You have to learn to lose before you can learn to win," she said. "You have to work on accomplishing small goals to achieve the bigger goals."

She credits her family values, her coaches and her competitiveness for what she has been able to achieve. "Every coach has taught me something I will use in life," she said. "I've learned that if you work hard in practice and do everything you can to make yourself better, you will succeed."

It is evident that swim team means a lot to the 17-year-old. "We're all a family," she explained. "The last four years, we've had to rebuild as a team, which brings us together even more."

Kaiser summarized her swim season by simply stating, "I've had an amazing summer competing and a lot of fun in general just hanging out with everybody."

As for her success this past weekend, she makes it clear that it was no fluke. "I didn't just get here overnight," she said. "It took a lot of hard work every day for me to get where I am."

With her determination and talent, Kaiser is on top of her game, and will likely continue to make a splash in her favorite sport.