Ponies race for excellence

The Havre High swim teams have spent the last two months grinding. Whether it's practice and training, or races on the weekend, the Blue Ponies have been striving to reach one end - the Montana State Swimming Championships.

Now, the time has finally come. Today and Saturday, the Blue Ponies will compete at the state meet, held inside the Swarthout Fieldhouse Pool at Great Falls High. The meet will feature preliminaries today and consolation and championship finals Saturday.

"The kids have worked very hard this year, both in the pool and out," Havre head coach Bill Kilgore said. "Our team motto is 'Choose Excellence," and the kids are learning that being excellent at something takes lots and lots of hard work and making the choices necessary to be excellent. You have to choose to push yourself when it hurts, choose to get to practice on time, choose to study and do homework, choose to show sportsmanship, and all of the other aspects of life to be excellent at being a student athlete. Being excellent at something doesn't just happen, it takes dedication and making the right choices to get you there.

"The state meet is always an exciting time for our kids and a great way for our kids to measure themselves against the best our state has to offer, he added. "It's not just the high level of competition that they will face, but it's the culmination of a season of hard work and making good choices. This is where all of the meters swum, all the pushups, sit-ups, planks and other dryland work shows the kids the value of sweat equity and investing in oneself."

In all, 14 Blue Ponies will get to test themselves against every other team that offers swimming in the state of Montana. The state meet is combined between Class AA and A, but trophies are awarded for the AA and A titles. In Class A, Havre will compete against powerhouse Billings Central, as well as Hardin, Whitefish and Columbia Falls among others.

And for the HHS girls' team, which is composed of Amelia Miller, Kobi Burchard, Blakelee Lines, Hannah Lunak, Megan Miller, Jessica Otto and Jillian Reighard, this weekend could very well be one the Ponies will never forget. With Miller and Burchard leading the way, as both are expected to reach championship finals, possibly in multiple events, as well as a strong group that will make up some very good relay teams, the Havre girls are certainly in a strong position to win the Class A crown this weekend, something they've done many times throughout the years.

"A state championship is always the goal of our swim teams, especially the girls' team," Kilgore said. "Chris Inman left a championship legacy in this program, and we strive to honor that legacy every time we swim. A state championship this year for the girls is in the realm of possibility, but there will definitely need to be some swimmers to really step up and get into the championship finals both individually and help push a relay up a few spots. Almost half of our state team this year is made up of freshmen. We look to freshmen Kobi Burchard, Megan Miller, and Blakelee Lines to really breakout and push our relays into the championship finals. They have been led by some fantastic senior girls, notably, Jess Otto. Jess is the heart and soul of our team and leads it with a devotion to hard work, great attitude and constant show of sportsmanship. The main obstacles standing in our way are Billings Central and Whitefish. They are two great teams that are formidable, but we have beaten both of them his year. We will need to stay focused, make the right choices,and maybe score a little luck for these girls to bring home a championship."

Winning a state title for the Havre girls won't be easy, but they have something truly special on their side. While the entire Havre team is talented, and will no doubt do well, Amelia Miller is simply one of the top swimmers in the state, regardless of classification. Miller is exceptional in the freestyle events, and after a dominant season in the pool, with countless titles to her credit, she's gunning for her best performances of what has been an incredible career, in what will be her final races for HHS.

"Amelia Miller is a coach's dream," Kilgore said. "She is self-motivated, works harder than anyone, and is extremely coachable. Those traits have brought her success in the past and there is no reason to think she can't hammer out a top six time at this meet. Amelia shoulders a lot of the weight for this team in a big meet like this, and with that comes a ton of pressure to swim well. If you have ever seen that girl swim the anchor leg of our 400 free relay when we need a miracle, well, then you know she can handle the pressure, if not thrive with it and make miracles happen."

While Miller and the HHS girls are among the favorites for a Class A title this weekend, the Havre High boys are hoping to make some headway in the pool as well. The Ponies probably aren't one of the top contenders this weekend, but they've had a strong season and are much-improved.

Sophomore Jacob Miller leads the HHS boys, while senior Aylan Pratt has also come on strong. Noah Gjesdal, John Klein, Ammon Lines, Christian Mathis and Paxtin McCann round out a Pony lineup that will look for personal bests this weekend and could also make a strong push in the relays.

"Our boys are swimming fantastic this year with best time after best time, but unfortunately, we just haven't had the number of swimmers we need to be successful," Kilgore said. "Our boys will look to bring in best times and build toward the future. We lost five senior swimmers last year and some of the younger boys, namely Jacob Miller and John Klein, have had to step up and take on a tough leadership role on a team that is waiting for its quantity to catch up to its quality. Billings Central is a powerhouse this year and by far the leader in Class A. We will look to compete with Hardin and Columbia Falls by getting a relay or two into the final heat."

Of course, personal bests, no matter what they are, are always the goal at the state meet. Trophies are great, and the Havre girls can certainly achieve that this weekend. But Kilgore also wants to see his teams compete at the highest level and, as always, have fun while doing it. After all, the state meet is a special time for any swimmer. It's the time when all the hard work and dedication pay off.

"The overall mindset of our team heading into state is one of determination," Kilgore said. "We are determined to reclaim the legacy of championships that Havre Swimming is known for. We are realistic enough to know that our team is young and inexperienced, but hopeful that our youth combined with some amazing veteran talent will carry us to victory. As the coach of this program, I look for this meet to be a springboard into our future and a reason for future swimmers to join our team."