BonnerSprings.com

If you thought Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps’ impact on the sporting world was quieting down, you probably haven’t swung by the pool at the Bonner Springs YMCA.

The size of the Braves boys swimming team has more than doubled from a total of 12 last year to an eye-popping 28 this season.

“The most I have ever had before on one team was 18,” says second-year BSHS coach Lynn LaNoue. “Maybe the increase is due to my winning ways and charming personality — but I think Michael Phelps may be more responsible.”

The increase in numbers is seen as a good thing by LaNoue and assistant coach Jaye Shaer, but it does present challenges. The YMCA usually leaves one lane of the pool open to the public during the Braves’ practice sessions but cannot offer that any longer.

“The sheer number of kids causes management challenges for us, but the YMCA has been very helpful by being flexible and willing to work with us,” LaNoue said. “Juggling 28 swimmers and keeping their interests up is going to be difficult.”

Last season the Braves had a decent season. They finished second in the Independent League Championship meet — a meet for schools that do not have enough teams in their league to justify a league championship. They were also able to secure first place at the Wyandotte County meet. They hope to repeat that performance this year and also take first at the ILC.

The team lost just two seniors from a year ago. Although the Braves had zero state qualifiers, they hope that will change this season as they have a number of seniors on the squad.

Some of those seniors lack experience, though. Two of them have not competed in two years and two have never swam in high school. There are also two members of the team who are special-needs students. The bottom line is that the 2008-2009 Braves may be an unknown quantity.

Captains Alex Sullivan, a senior, and sophomore Jake Moulin face a daunting task of keeping the team together throughout the season. They each attended the League Championship of Character program last spring and were named captains. The seminar focused on the covenants of swimming and the type of leadership required to be a successful team. This experience helped the Bonner students prepare for this season and the challenge of revamping the traditions for the team.

The coaching staff hopes to send at least one relay team to state this year, as well as two upperclassmen as individual qualifiers; senior Matt Bille and junior Ryan Holcomb. However, the ultimate goal for the team is to build character and interest in a sport that can stretch the length of an athlete’s life, according to LaNoue.

Bonner will play host to its first meet of the season Dec. 10 and hopes to know more about itself by then.

“This team has been great at building team unity and I’ve been really impressed with their character,” LaNoue said. “I think that will help us in the long run (as we) try to decide if we are going to participate for the good of the team rather than just ourselves — even with limited swimming time in meets for some because the large amount of swimmers we have.”

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