Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Sim Sisters Lock Sights on Omaha
Letitia (left) and Levenia (right) at the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series at Richmond.
Letitia and Levenia Sim did not let 2020 get to them. In fact, they have been swimming faster than ever.
From March 3-28, 2021, USA Swimming offered the 2021 18 & Under Spring Championships to create more racing opportunities for swimmers across the country. The Sim sisters did not disappoint after deciding to compete.
Letitia, age 18, and Levenia, age 14, both swim for TNT Swimming in Daphne, Alabama. During the 18 & Under Spring Championships (which compile results for each gender under 18 years old and not specific age groups) both girls placed well in the rankings. In both long-course meters and short-course yards events, Letitia placed first in the 200 BR and third in the 100 BR. In the 100 BK, Levenia placed fourth in long-course meters and fifth in short-course yards.
“I decided to sign them (TNT Swimming athletes) up for the meet to help motivate them. We didn’t have Winter or Spring Juniors, so I knew they wanted to compete,” Coach Jan Mittemeyer said.
The meet had a total of 6,107 SCY and 1,998 LCM participants in both the men and women events.
The Sim sisters started on TNT Swimming when Levenia was 6 and Letitia was 9 years old. Mittemeyer believes because of their background in gymnastics, both girls can receive information and implement it in the water effectively. As taught to coaches through the American Development Model (ADM), generating skills from other sports tends to help in the long-term development of athletes.
“We started by only working on stroke technique for years,” Mittemeyer said. It was with that base the Sim sisters have been able to work on great technique such as their impressive underwaters. The girls were in middle school before Coach Mittemeyer started introducing more challenging sets and moderate distance, without hardly going over 200 yards at a time. Even now, the elite training group at TNT Swimming rarely goes over 4,000 yards in a single practice.
“Driven by the competitiveness of age group swimming, I started to love the constant fun and hard work it took to become a great swimmer,” Letetia said.
Today, both sisters compete at a high level at swim practice and meets.
Letitia earned her first National Club Swimming Association cut when she was just 13 years old, and will swim the 100 BR, 200 BR and 200 IM this summer at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming in Omaha.
“Having the opportunity to go to this meet (U.S. Olympic Trials) is really exciting, and I’m looking forward to watching and competing alongside the best swimmers in the country,” Letetia said.
Levenia also has quite the track record. She broke Reagan Smith’s 50 BK National Age Group (NAG) record as a 12-year-old and will be joining her sister at the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer to swim the 100 BK.
When Levenia broke Smith’s NAG record in 2019, Letitia was in the same heat.
“Letitia ran over to her sister and gave her a huge hug to congratulate her. You can really tell they support each other,” Mittemeyer said.
As discussed in Character Development of the ADM, championship behavior and accountability are vital when developing a positive club environment and long-term athlete growth.
“Having support is one of the most important things in the sport of swimming. There is no better feeling than having your teammates on the other end of the pool cheering you on. Through my swimming journey, I have met so many incredible people who continue to support me and I am so thankful for that,” Levenia said.
The swimming world is counting down the days until Omaha. We know the U.S. Olympic Trials is sure to be a fantastic event, filled with fast swimming and a competitive atmosphere. Also as important, it will be a great learning experience for some of USA Swimming’s up and coming swimmers.
“I am so excited to be swimming at the Olympic Trials this summer. I think it will be a great experience, swimming against and watching some of the best swimmers in the world compete,” Levenia said.
To find out more about U.S. Olympic Trials – Swimming, please visit here.
Letitia and Levenia Sim did not let 2020 get to them. In fact, they have been swimming faster than ever.
From March 3-28, 2021, USA Swimming offered the 2021 18 & Under Spring Championships to create more racing opportunities for swimmers across the country. The Sim sisters did not disappoint after deciding to compete.
Letitia, age 18, and Levenia, age 14, both swim for TNT Swimming in Daphne, Alabama. During the 18 & Under Spring Championships (which compile results for each gender under 18 years old and not specific age groups) both girls placed well in the rankings. In both long-course meters and short-course yards events, Letitia placed first in the 200 BR and third in the 100 BR. In the 100 BK, Levenia placed fourth in long-course meters and fifth in short-course yards.
“I decided to sign them (TNT Swimming athletes) up for the meet to help motivate them. We didn’t have Winter or Spring Juniors, so I knew they wanted to compete,” Coach Jan Mittemeyer said.
The meet had a total of 6,107 SCY and 1,998 LCM participants in both the men and women events.
The Sim sisters started on TNT Swimming when Levenia was 6 and Letitia was 9 years old. Mittemeyer believes because of their background in gymnastics, both girls can receive information and implement it in the water effectively. As taught to coaches through the American Development Model (ADM), generating skills from other sports tends to help in the long-term development of athletes.
“We started by only working on stroke technique for years,” Mittemeyer said. It was with that base the Sim sisters have been able to work on great technique such as their impressive underwaters. The girls were in middle school before Coach Mittemeyer started introducing more challenging sets and moderate distance, without hardly going over 200 yards at a time. Even now, the elite training group at TNT Swimming rarely goes over 4,000 yards in a single practice.
“Driven by the competitiveness of age group swimming, I started to love the constant fun and hard work it took to become a great swimmer,” Letetia said.
Today, both sisters compete at a high level at swim practice and meets.
Letitia earned her first National Club Swimming Association cut when she was just 13 years old, and will swim the 100 BR, 200 BR and 200 IM this summer at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming in Omaha.
“Having the opportunity to go to this meet (U.S. Olympic Trials) is really exciting, and I’m looking forward to watching and competing alongside the best swimmers in the country,” Letetia said.
Levenia also has quite the track record. She broke Reagan Smith’s 50 BK National Age Group (NAG) record as a 12-year-old and will be joining her sister at the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer to swim the 100 BK.
When Levenia broke Smith’s NAG record in 2019, Letitia was in the same heat.
“Letitia ran over to her sister and gave her a huge hug to congratulate her. You can really tell they support each other,” Mittemeyer said.
As discussed in Character Development of the ADM, championship behavior and accountability are vital when developing a positive club environment and long-term athlete growth.
“Having support is one of the most important things in the sport of swimming. There is no better feeling than having your teammates on the other end of the pool cheering you on. Through my swimming journey, I have met so many incredible people who continue to support me and I am so thankful for that,” Levenia said.
The swimming world is counting down the days until Omaha. We know the U.S. Olympic Trials is sure to be a fantastic event, filled with fast swimming and a competitive atmosphere. Also as important, it will be a great learning experience for some of USA Swimming’s up and coming swimmers.
“I am so excited to be swimming at the Olympic Trials this summer. I think it will be a great experience, swimming against and watching some of the best swimmers in the world compete,” Levenia said.
To find out more about U.S. Olympic Trials – Swimming, please visit here.