WEST PLAINS – The Waves Swim Club had five senior athletes that graduated in 2020. Nate Bramwell, Christopher Davis, Olivia Fiorino, Mia Harris, and Dakota Sparks have made significant contributions to our swim club.
Nate Bramwell, Olivia Fiorino, Mia Harris, and Dakota Sparks all qualified for the MSHSAA Class I State Swimming Championships while in high school. This past season Nate Bramwell finished 23rd in the 100-yard butterfly. Olivia Fiorino finished 8th in the 50-yard freestyle for the program’s first top 10 finish. Fiorino also finished 17th in the 100-yard freestyle. Dakota Sparks finished 30th in both the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle. Nate Bramwell and Dakota Sparks were also part of the Zizzer 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle State relay teams. Olivia Fiorino and Mia Harris were part of the 200-yard and 400-yard Zizzer State relay teams.
These state finishes show tremendous progress in a short amount of time with limited time in the pool compared to larger big-city programs. We are fortunate to have both a USA swim club and a strong high school program at West Plains High School in our community. Swimming is an excellent activity for the youth, and we are excited to see the athletes succeed on the state level.
Nate Bramwell has received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He plans to study engineering and, upon graduation, commission into the Marine Corps. Chris Davis will attend John Brown University in Arkansas and study pre-medicine. Olivia Fiorino will swim Division II for the University of Missouri St. Louis and study child psychology and advocacy. Mia Harris will compete in cross country and track for Drury University while studying to become a speech-language pathologist. Dakota Sparks has enlisted into the United States Navy to become an air rescue swimmer.
Waves Swim Club is a 501(c)3 nonprofit year-round competitive swim team that is grounded in two principles: character development and swimming improvement. The program fosters an atmosphere of commitment and consistency focused on the long-term, where swimming becomes a lifetime sport. “These senior athletes encompass the Waves philosophy. They are all outstanding community members that have extremely bright futures,” says Head Coach Kristi Sheridan.
The Waves are coached by Kristi Sheridan, Joe Fiorino, John Niesen, and Heather Kamps. The Zizzer swim team is coached by Ryan Smith and Sheila Sparks. “The Waves Swim Club is passionate about teaching our area youth how to swim while developing their character in and outside of the pool,” according to Sheridan.
Sponsors of the 2019/2020 season included: West Plains Greenhouses, Edward Jones-Kevin Walker, Ozarks Medical Center, Norman Orr Office Supply, West Plains Bank & Trust, Lazy W. Pallets Inc., Ozark Kids Dentistry, Farm Bureau, West Rock Orthodontics, Healthy Lifestyles Wellness, Hart Family Eyecare, Greg Peugh Photography, West Plains Dental Group, Ozark Wellness Chiropractic, Sheridan & Sheridan Accounting, and Kloz Klozet. These sponsorships helped offset the cost of the pool rental, t-shirts, swim caps, and meet awards. We are looking for Wave Sponsorship again for 2020/2021. If any individuals or businesses are interested in supporting our athletes, please contact us at wavesswimclub.com.
“The amount of support from the community we received was outstanding this past year,” said Sheridan. “We appreciate Missouri State University-West Plains and the West Plains Civic Center working with us to rent the pool for our year-round traveling team. We are disappointed to have to cancel our summer league due to COVID-19 and the limited pool availability.
We are organizing a weeklong swim camp and tryouts for our traveling USA team July 13-17th from 7:00-8:00 pm at the West Plains Civic Center. We have limited registration to 16-20 swimmers. Spots will be available for youth ages seven and up with priority being given to those not already on the Waves traveling team. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, swimmers will be required to be able to swim 25 meters (the length of the Civic Center pool) unassisted with their face in the water. Coaches will be unable to be in the water with the athletes at this time.” To register your child and secure your spot, please email wpwavesswimclub@gmail.com.
