Many of you have met or swam with Becca Mann, a 10 year old phenom that I’ve been giving lessons to for the last couple of years — really since the Swim Studio opened. She just recently won Cliff Bar’s Kid Athlete of November/December with “Chicago Athlete,” and she’s now up for the Cliff Bar’s Kid Athlete of the Year.
Like I said, Becca is a phenomenal swimmer. Here are some times and achievements to put it all in context. She’s the top 10 and under in the country in the 400m Freestyle (4:56.37), 800m Freestyle (10:10.72), and 1500m Freestyle (19:29.41). She’s top 5 in the country in 6 other events and in the top 25 or 50 in most all of the rest. She’s a State Record holder in the 400m and 500yd freestyle. For the triathletes in the house, Becca just recently became the youngest swimmer to complete the Maui Channel swim — an 11 mile rough open water swim that she completed in 6:26. She’s also won the Open Water Mega-Zone championship and the Miami Open Water Swim in the 5K (1:31) and 10K (3:21). She won this year’s Jayhawk and Chicago Triathlon in the 9-10 division. She’s also a straight A student and has met the Pope and has his rosary (long, funny story). Simply put, she’s an amazing kid and will be a name to watch in swimming and triathlon in the years to come.
If you have a second, can you send a message to the following email:
editor@mychicagoathlete.com
indicating that you think Becca should be Kid Athlete of the Year. It would be cool to have a Blue Dolphin win this honor.
Thanks in advance for the support.