By RICHIE HALL
Ayla Madara’s first-ever trip to Wisconsin was a memorable and chilly one.
Madara, an incoming freshman at Hamilton Heights, made the journey with her teammates from the Fishers Area Swimming Tigers (FAST) to compete in the 2023 Central Zone Open Water Championships. The 2.5-kilometer swim took place on June 16 at Lake Andrea, a natural spring water lake in the village of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., which is located on Lake Michigan just across the Illinois state line.
And while she had never swam in an open water race before, Madara had great success on her first try. She won the Girls 13-14 division of the race, finishing with a time of 31 minutes, 12.21 seconds.
“It was different, especially because it was really cold there,” said Madara. “I know the water temp was only 67 and the air was in the high 50’s.”
“It was a cold day, for sure,” said Allison Madara, Ayla’s mother. “And I wasn’t swimming.”
The open water course is shaped like a narrow triangle. Swimmers start the race off a beach, then swim parallel to the shore line for about one-half kilometer, then turn around and swim at a slightly opposite angle back to shore before making a second turn. The swimmers then make their way back to the start line, having completed 1.25 kilometers.
This graphic shows the Open Water course on LakeAndrea. (Note that the distances are listed incorrectly: 1K should be 1.25L, 2K should be 2.5K and 3K should be 3.75K.) (Graphic provided)
There was a clinic that took place the day before the race, where the swimmers learned “how to go around the buoys and stuff,” said Ayla. “It’s two laps of a course which had three buoys on it. It was hard to see because the buoys were so far away from each other. Once you finished one lap you were at the halfway point.”
“There’s no lane lines to follow,” said Allison. “It’s more fighting for a spot. And the water’s not clear.”
As soon as the swimmers complete two laps, the swimmers run up onto the beach in triumph. They’re also a little tired: Ayla called the swim “exhausting,” but she was happy that she made it through the race.
“I’d never done it before, so I was just proud that I finished and finished that well,” she said.
Ayla led the entire race, although she said the start of the competition is “really crowded” since there were so many swimmers. A total of 71 competed in the Girls 13-14 age group. Ayla said that a swimmer has to “start out fast to get a good spot and then pace yourself.”
Ayla was one of five FAST swimmers competing at the Open Water Championships. Two of them finished 1-2 in the Girls 10 & Under division, which swims 1.25 kilometers, or one lap. Grace Gannon won the race with a time of 17:41.81, while Annie Hare placed second, clocking in at 18:24.94.
Caden Askren took third in the Boys 13-14 division, with a time of 30:27.79. Amira Leer was 10th in the Girls 13-14 race, with a time of 32:36.63.
Madara was one of five swimmers from Fishers Area Swimming Tigers that competed
in the Open Water Championships. Pictured from left are Caden Askren, Amira Leer,
Ayla Madara, Grace Gannon and Annie Hare. Gannon and Hare finished 1-2 in the Girls 10 & Under division. (Photo provided)
“They cheer for each other and support each other,” said Allison.
Ayla will be swimming at the Enchanted Forest Swim Meet, which takes place next week at Noblesville’s Forest Park. She will also compete in the Age Group State meet, and at the Zone meet in Elkhart, then get ready for the high school swim season, when she will join the Hamilton Heights team.
“I’m looking forward to being on a high school team, because I’ll be on with a couple of other FAST swimmers,” said Ayla. She’s also looking forward to swimming with her sister Teegan, who will be a senior for the Huskies this coming season.