Date: Fri 04-Dec-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KIMH

Quick Words:

Nickse-Swimming

Full Text:

Stephanie Nickse Knows What Dedication Is All About

BY KIM J. HARMON

Stephanie Nickse -- just 17 years old with the future all laid out in front of

her -- knows what dedication is all about.

Oh, she would have to be dedicated -- some would say, uncommonly dedicated --

to carry on the way she does with the swimming and the community service and

the school organizations and preparing to spend the next eight years or so in

college pursuing a medical career.

Yeah, uncommonly dedicated.

But that is who Stephanie Nickse is and while she may choose to go over the

mountain -- as many others simply go around -- she knows she couldn't do it

any other way.

"Otherwise," she said, "I would miss out on so much."

Focus

No small measure of that dedication, that focus, probably comes from swimming.

Beginning back in seventh grade, with the Newtown FAST (Fairfield Area Swim

Team) program, Stephanie got her first real introduction to swimming and love

seemed to bloom right away.

That's good, because it takes love to endure the all the rigors of swimming --

the early morning practices and the twice-a-day practices and the endless

yards of water that have to be traveled to reach a destination that is found

only on the hands of a stopwatch.

Early in her swim career, after a promising start as a freshman with the

Newtown High School girls' swim team, Stephanie was forced to take a break

from swimming when FAST folded.

It was tough.

"I do all of this for the pure love of the sport," she said. "I just love to

swim. When I had to take a break, I couldn't find anything I loved as much as

swimming."

She attributes that depth of feeling to her first coach, John Abrami, and --

later -- to her former Wilton Wahoo coach, Tom Murphy, who is now the men's

swim coach at Harvard University.

"(Coach Abrami) made it so enjoyable," she said, "that I wanted to experience

it more. (Coach Murphy) in his own way brought such a love to the sport of

swimming."

With FAST out of the pool and the high school season going from September to

November, Stephanie had to find something to take her through the other nine

months of the year and that is what brought her -- like several other local

swimmers -- to the Wilton Wahoos.

With Wilton there is the short course season and the long course season and

very little time -- if any -- to rest. But who wanted to rest? Swimming was

molding Stephanie in many other ways that didn't become noticeable until she

began to truly expand her horizons.

"I think swimming makes me so much more organized," she said. "Sometimes I may

get home late (from practice), but I know I have my homework and other things

that have to get done."

And it's not just homework. Stephanie is the president of the Newtown High

School chapter of SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving), is on the Youth

Advisory Board, and with her association with Interact has performed over 300

hours of community service at the Dorothy Day Hospitality House and with the

Newtown Parks and Recreation Department.

"No," she said, "I don't sleep a lot. But (the community service) has been a

great experience."

Oh, there will be more.

Because it won't be long before Stephanie is moving on to someplace like

Bucknell University or Colgate or Middlebury College while dedicating herself

to swimming and setting the stage for her dream of becoming a doctor.

The Last Go 'Round

It was just a few short years ago that Stephanie was a highly-touted freshman

swimmer. And it was a great freshman class, like a Fab Five or something, with

other athletes like Jaime Ryan and Jessica Carino and Sarah Brodbeck giving

Newtown High School an almost giddy sense of the success to come.

And while things might not have worked out as spectacularly as they might have

hoped (some swimmers moved away and others transferred out), the last four

years have seen a great level of success achieved by the Newtown Lady

Nighthawks.

"We were fortunate to have a lot of kids who were so driven," said Stephanie.

"It was disappointing to see some people leave, but the newer members still

made us stronger."

Stephanie came into the 1998 season without many concrete expectations or

goals, but she did know what she wanted -- to hit one minute flat in the 100

yard butterfly and to reach the CIAC Class and State Open meets.

She hit one minute flat, alright, tying a school record in the 100 fly with a

1:00.20 at the State Open, good for a 12th-place finish and good enough to put

her name alongside a former teammate, Kari Fisher, who originally set the mark

in 1997.

"I was really pleased, at Opens, to make my personal best times," Stephanie

said. "Overall, it was good."

The Nighthawks themselves finished 7-4 in the dual meet season, with a

seventh-place finish at the South-West Conference championships and a

eighth-place finish at the CIAC Class L meet.

"I think we went into the season unsure of what we had," said Stephanie. "But

I was impressed with the young swimmers and how dedicated they were. Overall,

we pulled it together. There was such team unity."

Stephanie was the only Newtown swimmer, however, to extend her season all the

way to the State Opens. And the day after the Opens, she was back in the water

with Wilton and swam a great 200 butterfly in competition.

"I can go from here," she said, "and build on that."

Stephanie can build on a solid four-year career at Newtown High School that

has left her with one individual record (100 butterfly) and a share of two

relay records (200 freestyle and 400 freestyle).

But now it's all over.

"I'm sad," she said, "but I'm excited for what's to come. It's been a great

four years."