FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

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Daily Sitka Sentinel

Barracuda's Gassman Breaks Swim Record

By GARLAND KENNEDY

Sentinel Sports Editor

It took a second for Emma Gassman to realize what had happened when she broke the local record in the daunting 1,000-yard freestyle swim event at a time trial Saturday.

“My mind kind of stays off for a little bit and kind of I wake up and realize… (but) I remember being really happy that I broke into the 10-minute mark,” Gassman told the Sentinel.

The 16-year old swimmer finished the 40-lap event in 10:59.96, breaking the previous record set by her personal friend, Skylar Moore. The old record stood at 11:02.72.

As she swam, Gassman had moments while breathing to peek at the clock.

“I actually snuck a peak at the board and the wall that had the times on it, so I could see where I was a couple times. I don’t really think I saw all the people that were cheering for me since they were so excited and yelling at me to go. I thought I was behind pace. I thought, ‘I’m going too slow. I’m not going to make it.’ Until I got to the end and they were all cheering,” Gassman recalled. Next, she said, she’s already eying the records in the 500 free and the mile.

In a season where the continuing coronavirus outbreak has limited athletic opportunities for many Sitkans, Gassman was happy for the chance to train for and participate in a time trial.

“It felt pretty good that I’ve improved my times because of the whole mess of COVID,” she said. “For the high school season, that was messed up a lot… it was still very fun but not as much of the competitive thing, because we didn’t get to travel.”

Saturday’s event involved about two dozen Baranof Barracudas swimmers of many ages with a very limited crowd of spectators at the Blatchley pool.

This time trial, BBSC coach Kevin Knox told the Sentinel, was only the third since the pandemic struck.

Knox noted that Gassman’s record is even more remarkable because she was swimming only against herself.

“It’s an impressive swim no matter what, but the level of difficulty for her to break this record goes up exponentially just because she didn’t have anybody she was swimming against. She was virtually only swimming against herself and the clock,” he said.

The other swimmers in her heat swam only the 500 freestyle.

Along with the new record, Gassman also now stands as the fastest 1,00-yard swimmer in Alaska.

“She didn’t beat it by much but she definitely was under it,” Knox said. “And for a 16-year-old to go under 11 minutes is pretty impressive. It’s so far the fastest time put up in the state by about 20 seconds ... She is the current fastest kid in this event in the state.”

But Gassman was far from alone at the time trial.

The coach praised a variety of his swimmers for their races.

“Phin and Wim Edwards dropped all kinds of time in all of the events they swam,” Knox said.

The young brothers competed in a number of events. In the 50-yard freestyle, Phin took 12th at 35.67 with Wim in 14th at 39.17. Phin also claimed fourth in the 100 Individual Medley with a time of 1:45.74.

Knox noted that Scotty Golden improved in his events as well.

Golden swam the 50 in 41.34 and the 100 IM in 1:55.73.

In the 50-free, Jaira Costelo stood out as well.

“It was her first swim meet and she had some very impressive times for a 14-year old… She wasn’t a swimmer before this,” Knox said.

Costelo took eighth in the 50 at 33.92.

Riley Bernhardt, after four years away from the Barracudas, marked a return as well. She took second in the 50 butterfly at 42.16.

“She had a great time. She put up some impressive times,” her coach recalled.

Evy Rice snagged the first-place spot in the 50 fly by dropping 17 seconds and finishing in 46.84.

No relay events were held at the meet so as to prevent athletes from clustering around the starting blocks, Knox said.

“We try to keep the kids a little spread out, no gathering up too much behind the blocks.”

For the coach, holding a time trial was a way of demonstrating the results of practice and hard work.

“It’s just fun to see the kids realize all this work they’ve been putting in. I really do try to keep our workouts fun. For any sport, especially swimmers, workouts can be a grind and getting to actually see the results that they are getting makes some of that grind worthwhile,” Knox said.

The vibe in the air of the Blatchley pool was a mix of nervousness and excitement, Knox recounted.

“With some of the kids it’s old school. They’ve been doing it for such a long time they’re there in the meet mindset. For others it’s new to them, they’re all kinds of nerves. So you get a mix of excitement and nerves and determination. The atmosphere is fun but also serious,” he said.

The Barracudas will race again in March, with a statewide postal meet planned March 12. It will be limited to the 25 free, 50 free, and 100 free.

Knox added that some of his athletes will participate in a Brute Squad next month as well. That event involves a consecutive 200-yard fly, 400 IM, and 1650 free, all done without stopping the clock. A swimmer is allowed to rest, but the clock keeps ticking.

“You can rest as much as you want but the clock keeps running… It’s the most brutal event in a lot of swimmers’ minds,” he said.

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....

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