Grieving swimmer leads way for Discovery Canyon at CSML meet

In swimming, speed is the name of the game. Discovery Canyon freshman Kelsey Oettinger certainly fits the bill.

In not quite two years, the 14-year-old went from first competitive race to team captain to the Thunder’s first state qualifier. But the success has been tempered by grief since Sept. 20, when her mother, Judi, died at the age of 52.

“Things seem to be happening a little too fast,” Oettinger said Friday during preliminaries at the Colorado Springs Metro League meet at Cheyenne Mountain. “We’re trying to keep things as normal as we can, and for me, swimming is my save haven. Mom always enjoyed watching me swim and thought some day I could swim in the Olympics.”

Discovery Canyon, in only its third year of existence and first in varsity swimming, will have Oettinger in the pool next weekend at the Class 4A meet for the 500-yard freestyle. Today, she hopes to add an appearance in the 400 relay.

“I’m really proud of our team,” said coach Lisa Garrelts, a Rampart graduate. “We had 21 personal records in the first night of our first Metro meet, and we’re pretty fired up about that. Kelsey has been a true leader from the start, and ever since I’ve known her, she’s had the ability to overcome many things.”

Today’s finals are scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. Rampart hopes to defend its Metro League title, while Lewis-Palmer, Cheyenne Mountain, Air Academy and Doherty hope to spoil the Rams’ party.

“We definitely had a lot of strong performances by girls on many teams,” Cheyenne Mountain coach Kate Doane said. “After one night, no one is winning. It’s all about how many girls you can get back into the next day’s finals.”

And while Discovery Canyon isn’t in the mix to hoist the CSML trophy this year, the bar has been set high for future Thunder swimmers to come.

“It’s nice to be that school that catches others off guard,” Oettinger said. “People don’t know we have a team, or even where we are. Things are going a lot better than we thought when the year started, and we’re building a strong team. We’re starting a tradition, going down in history with a great first year.”