The Blue Dolfins started in Winter Park in 1972 with famed coach Harry Meisel.
After Harry’s death, the team continued on with a strong branch in Oviedo, coached by Charlie Rose, and a branch at the Winter Park Racquet Club, where Harry’s son Kevin Meisel worked with 12-and-under swimmers in a developmental program.
In January 2017, Coach Joe Auer moved the Winter Park branch back to Cady Way and Winter Park High School and once again offered developmental and competitive swimming for all age groups. Over the last three years, we have made great strides working with swimmers ages 5 through 22. Read on for an update on our team as well as the next exciting step for our program.
College Swimmers
We have 6 swimmers who are currently competing in college As Division I, II, and III athletes:
Hector Rodriguez (University of Florida)
Brady Estrada (Arizona State University)
Jessica Harris (Eastern Illinois University)
Reese Gawronski (Colorado College)
Chloe Hampson (Florida International University)
Luke Waite (Rollins College)
6 current high school seniors who are college-bound to swim:
Lizzy Linartas (committed to Arkansas)
Sophie Hampson (committed to Florida International University)
Ezequiel Negron (undecided)
McLeod Chasser (undecided)
Whitney Shirey (undecided)
Liam Negron (undecided)
3-4 more seniors who have not yet decided if they want to swim in college - stay tuned!
Nationally-Ranked Athletes
The fastest 10-and-under female swimmer in the nation:
JB Kodera (JB was ranked #1 in the nation in 100 Backstroke, #4 in the 50 Backstroke, #5 in the 200 Freestyle— the bad news is JB just aged up to 11 years old! Ha!)
A nationally-ranked triathlete:
Connie Curtis (3rd in the 11-12 age group at U.S.Triathlon Nationals - she claimed 9 overall wins this year)
Connie at nationals
An American Record Holder and Team USA Member:
Lauren Bergquist (represented the United States in international competition at the European Down Syndrome Championships in Italy and the INAS Global Games in Australia, and she set a new American Record in the Women’s T21 50m Breaststroke, meaning she is fastest American female to have ever swum this particular event)
Lauren holding her American Record certificate
3 high school All American Swimmers, all of whom compete for Winter Park High School:
Lockett Bowley
Erika Hirschmann
Moriah Frietas
All Americans Lockett, Erika, Moriah, and Cami Semmen (Highlander) - photo by T. Bowley
Big Meets
Combined with Oviedo, the Blue Dolfins won the following championship meets:
Summer Senior Champs (Combined team winners 3 years in a row)
Futures National Meet (Girls team championship - second place)
2 swimmers qualified for the U.S. Open:
Megan Hansen
Lockett Bowley
2020 Olympic Trials
6 Swimmers have the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials in their sights - stay tuned for qualification!
Megan Hansen
Lockett Bowley
Moriah Freitas
Chloe Hampson
Sophie Hampson
Erika Hirschmann
International Competition
We have several Blue Dolfins who are gearing up for international competition back in their home country:
Sophie Hampson (Qualified for England’s National Championships)
Moriah Freitas (Swam the fastest time in her age group for Brazil this year)
Ezequiel Negron (nationally-ranked in Puerto Rico)
Carolina Villarini (nationally-ranked in Puerto Rico)
Akash Baskar (National team member for Dubai)
Community Support
We have heard from the community that they are thrilled to see the Blue Dolfins’ sign out front of Cady Way. We have been told by grandparents that many of their now-grown children swam for the club back in the 70s and 80s. We’re also honored that so many Blue Dolfin alumni and even former nationally-ranked and Olympic swimmers trust us with coaching their children.
Jobs
We’re also happy to be able to provide jobs—going from one full-time coach (Coach Joe) to having 3 additional age group coaches plus lifeguards to ensure the safety and proper development of our swimmers.
Coaches Maddie, Amina, and Hanako
We are proud of the progress we have made so far and are excited to train throughout the winter months at Cady Way thanks to the new heater. (Finally!)
But, wait—there’s more! We are currently gearing up for what promises to be the next exciting step for the Blue Dolfins: building a 50m pool at Winter Park High School!
The Next Step: Building a 50m Pool
The new pool has already been approved by OCPS and we can break ground just as soon as we have raised enough money. We are tasked with raising 2.7 million dollars as a community to make it happen. Fortunately, the county, the school administrators, as well as the Winter Park High School Foundation (nonprofit) have all committed to making it happen.
And while we know you will support the fundraising for the new pool, we understand that not everyone can afford to donate financially; in which case, we hope you will instead donate your time and energy to help spread word to those friends and family and alumni as well as community partners who will be able to donate.
Before and After rendering of proposed pool. Click picture for more info.
In addition to the Olympic-sized pool, we’re building a full diving well in order to lead the way in Central Florida for competitive diving under the amazing leadership of Jaq and Terry Horner of Orlando Dive Academy.
This new facility will not only benefit all the aquatic sports (swimming, diving, and water polo) but with an additional shallow teaching pool, the other high school athletes in sports such as football and basketball, etc. will also benefit from the ability to do in-depth physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Stay tuned for more info on how you can help us reach our goal over the next year. In the meantime, you can check out plans and renderings at the pool’s website: winterparkpool.com.
Having dedicated access to a 50m pool, where we don’t fight for pool time, is vital to helping our swimmers achieve their long-term goals. If you haven’t yet seen the video of our Declaration Day, where each junior and senior group swimmer publicly stated their goals asking for their coach and teammate’s support, it’s worth the watch:
With your help, the Blue Dolfins look forward to continuing to develop swimmers who will represent Central Florida well on a high school, college, national, and international stage.
Thank you!
Coach Joe Auer
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Need a USA Swimming Club or lessons program in Central Florida? Try Blue Dolfins in Winter Park, serving all areas including all of Winter Park, Eatonville, Orlando, Maitland, Baldwin Park, Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, and Longwood.