Worth the wait
The feeling is still fresh.
Even almost a year later.
When Baily Trettel and Katie Reott made the long trek from Butler County to Bucknell University last March 12, they expected to compete in the PIAA Class 2A Swimming Championships.
The duo from Moniteau never got that chance.
About 30 minutes after they arrived, they were told to go home. The meet was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic and then later canceled all together.
Now Trettel and Reott are again heading back to the state meet — this time at Cumberland Valley High School — determined to get into the pool and show what they can do.
A quest for a medal more than a year in the making.
“Well, since hopefully we'll be able to actually compete this year, I'm excited,” said Reott, a sophomore at Moniteau, with a snicker. “I didn't get to swim when I went for the first time, so I guess I'll be nervous, but I'll be ready.”Reott snagged a pair of District 9 gold medals Saturday at Clearfield, winning the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.97 seconds and the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1 minute, 9.90 seconds.Both marks were personal bests.Reott dropped more than five seconds off her top time in the 100 breaststroke.“I was extremely proud of my times,” Reott said. “I'd like to get mid-24s (in the 50 freestyle) and I'd like to place. Hopefully the competition will push me.”Trettel also captured a pair of district crowns, winning the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 54.62 and the 100-yard backstroke, touching the wall in 59.15.Trettel had mixed feelings about her times, however.“I'm not overly happy with them,” the Moniteau senior said. “I'm pretty happy with my 100 free time, but in the 100 back, I was expecting to go a little faster.”Trettel is also hoping to leave the state meet with a medal around her neck.“I want to get top-8 in the 100 back and in the 100 free, I just want to see what I can do,” Trettel said.The fact that the Moniteau pair are going to the state meet at all is a testament to their resolve.As independent swimmers — Moniteau doesn't have a girls swimming team — Trettel and Katie Reott, as well as her sister, senior Sydney Reott, had to find places to swim wherever they could.For awhile, they wondered if they would find a place at all.But Trettel and the Reotts were able to practice with their club swimming teams and they competed in four meets during the regular season — two at Riverside High School and two more at Mars and Clearfield.“It was almost normal,” Trettel said. “The D9 meet was a little different because you couldn't watch your friends swim. You had to stay in the gym when you weren't swimming. We could only watch the meet on our phones.”Different, though, is the sign of the times now.And Trettel has adapted.Trettel, who will swim at Division I St. Francis University next year, decided to go to school remotely this past month instead of in-person at Moniteau.Better safe than sorry, she thought.“I did it so I don't get quarantined and not be able to compete,” Trettel said. “I wasn't really planning on it, but I saw it happen to other teams at our school and I didn't want to have that happen to me. I don't like doing it, but I know that's what's best for me. If I were to get quarantined, I would really regret I didn't do it.”For Trettel, reaching the state meet was even more fulfilling this time around.Two years ago, she made it and was dissatisfied with her performance.She said she won't let that happen again, especially with what happened last year.“It did make it a little more special just because it was such a weird year and we had to overcome so many obstacles,” Trettel said. “I worked hard for this.”
