Glacier Swim Club’s Amy Liddle, 15, won Friday’s opening event at the 2025 Savannah Cayce Southeast Age Group Championships at the Dimond Park Aquatics Center and that momentum carried through Sunday’s final events as GSC claimed the team title by a land, err, waterslide.

“The 1,650 is such a hard event,” Liddle said of her win in the girls 11-and-over 1,650-yard freestyle event that marked the opening of the championship’s long swims. “It’s the longest event that you swim competitively in club. It’s pretty much just 18 minutes of pain. It’s really hard. I applaud anyone that even tries to attempt to swim it. Yeah, I think it is pretty crazy.”

The race, like most in the swim world, takes commitment and training and rituals.

For Liddle, the ritual is Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

“Before I swim the 1,650 I always try to think of a song that will keep me upbeat and going so that is mainly what I think about for the 18 minutes, but it differs for everyone,” Liddle said.

What remained the same for most of the GSC team were wins, fast times and fun.

GSC’s Kennedy Miller won the 100 breaststroke on Saturday in 1:11.79 and was second in the 200 breast on Sunday to Liddle, 2:31.91 to 22:40.33, respectively.

“This is always a weird time because we have our Alaska State Swimming Championships coming up, and it is definitely nice to know that I’m getting close to my best time right now,” Miller said. “So that we can get all tapered up and see how we can do there.”

When she is on the starting block, Miller said, “I always think about taking a deep breath. It actually does a lot for me. I always get this little funny feeling in my stomach but whenever I take a deep breath it really helps me focus and not feel like that.”

GSC scored 1,867.50 team points for first place. Petersburg’s Viking Swim Club was second with 1,144, the Ketchikan Killer Whales had 653.50, Sitka’s Baranof Barracudas Swim Club 534.50, Haines Dolphins Swim Team 97.50, Craig Waverunners Swim Club 74 and the Wrangell Swim Club 15.

“We swam great in our home pool,” GSC head coach Scott Griffith said. “Lots of new Alaska Swimming State champs qualifiers, which is our next meet in three weeks.”

Many of the GSC team have all ready qualified for the ASSC. New qualifiers from this weekend include Oliver Cole-Undurraga (12), Leon Ward (12), Evelyn Hochstoeger (12), Rowan Taintor (12), Cerys Savikko (11), Anabelle Sullivan (11), Maia Cole-Undurrago (10) and Mateus Suarez (8).

No GSC youth records were set, but fast times were achieved.

“That is what I have been striving to do for the past year I think,” GSC’s Liam Kiessling (15) said after winning Sunday’s 13 and over 100 backstroke in a time of 55.36. “Key was just the mentality. Not letting yourself stop kicking or swimming, don’t fall for tiredness…I kind of just concentrate on keeping my legs moving, not letting them fall behind or drag…My goal now is to drop even lower and go for a 53. And eventually get to a 49…I visualize what I am going to do in the race. I tell myself, ‘I am going to get this time,’ and I let myself believe it fully.”

Some of the older teen GSC swimmers mentored younger teammates in an exchange called “Buddies.”

Eight-year-old Auri Jones was accompanied during the meet by all-state swimmer Emma Fellman, 18, who showed her how to prepare, where to go, signing in, tracking swims and so on.

“Probably going to the meets,” Jones said when asked what she likes about swimming. “It is really fun with Emma helping. She helps you get to your places and she is really nice…I haven’t swam against her, I probably can’t beat her…My favorite swim is probably freestyle.”

The two buddies posed with signs others had made for them.

“Well, this is one of her first meets,” Fellman said. “And I remember what it was like when I was this age, so it’s like seeing how much fun she is having it is just so special to be a part of that and help her.”

When Fellman was eight she, too, had a buddy.

“Dessa Gerger was one of my first buddies, so I remember how fun and exciting that was,” she said.

Fellman was focusing this meet on having fun, including racing in some events she normally does not, such as the 100 back, which she won in 1:01.32 over teammates Lucia Chapell (18), Annabelle Woodruff (14), Katya Foy (14) and Cora Soboleff (13) among others.

“That was more of just like an off-event race,” Fellman said. “Kind of just having fun before my last meet of my GSC career coming up. So this was just a fun swim to do.”

Asked what she would miss the most about GSC after their final meet in Anchorage, Fellman said, “The family…it is so special.”

Adding to the family atmosphere Sunday was an impromptu conga line led by younger GSC swimmers that grew to stretch across eight pool lanes, and at one point danced up into the grandstands and before events, as swimmers were led to the starting blocks they passed through handshake lines and the younger swimmers danced along to songs such as “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen.

Long-time masters swimmer and meet official Tom Jacobson set a new 75-80 age group state record in the 500 free in 8:05.11, a few minutes off Baranof Barracuda Swim Club’s Ben Lihou (13) in 5:14.97 and GSC’s Levi Phelps (14) in 5:24.94, two of the fellow swimmers which he joined for the 13 and over 500.

“I’ve really taken more from swimming than I have given back,” a modest Tom Jacobson said.

“One, it is a wonderful exercise you can do into your darn-near eighties, like I am now. And secondly, even more than that, all these really nice people you meet around the deck, that are on this deck right now and past decks that I have been on, it has made it possible for me to meet a lot of very good people around Southeast and the state too…Actually the guy (Ray Hamilton) that held the record is a friend of mine up in Anchorage. He’s in the age group ahead of me so unless he has got Marty’s time machine he’s not going to be able to come back and see it he can beat me. This is the nature of masters swimming, right?”

Important to note were the coaches whom kids clustered to from their various towns.

“Glacier Swim Club has been a part of my life for the past 25 years, since I was eight years old,” GSC assistant coach Seth Cayce said. “My sisters were right there with me, Jocelyn and Savannah, and it really shaped our lives. Coaches come and go, but there’s a few that stand out that should be recognized. John Wray, Kathie Millhorn, but most importantly Scott Griffith. Scott has been the heartbeat of competitive swimming in Juneau for the past 20 years and so many swimmers owe their success to him.”

The Southeast Championships were renamed in honor of Cayce’s sister Savannah (1996-2012) in 2013. She passed on June 25, 2012, at age 16 in a jet ski accident while tubing on Auke Lake. She was a GSC swimmer since the age of five and became a varsity member of the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé swim team as a freshman and was class president.

“Coaching for GSC is an honor,” Seth Cayce said. “For the past couple months I’ve heard swimmers talk about competing at ‘Savannah Cayce.’ Some of them know who she is, some of them don’t. And that’s okay. But when I hear her name there are some emotions. GSC changed my life, and if we can make a positive impact like it did for my sisters and I, then we are doing our job.”

[Full official results (PDF)]

Some of the GSC winning swims included: Fellman (18) 200 fly 2:36.29, 100 back 1:01.32; Pacific Ricke (18) 200 back 2:18.33; Joshua Edwards (16) 200 IM 2:07.05; Bailey Fisher (16) 50 free 26.00; Liddle (15) 1650 free 18:42.46, 100 free 54.49, 200 IM 2:12.21, 200 breast 2:31.91; Kiessling (15) 100 back 55.36; Miller (15) 100 breast 1:11.79; Levi Phelps (14) 100 fly 55.85; Molly Woodruff (11) 400 IM 5:45.47, 100 breast 1:21.10; 50 breast 37.21, 200 breast 2:56.84; Oliver Albrecht (11) 100 back 1:14.43; Austin Treston (11) 1650 free 20:53.69; Matisse Suarez (10) 500 free 6:51.15, 50 fly 35.99, 50 back 36.85, 200 IM 2:54.93, 100 IM 1:22.89, 100 fly 1:23.03; Emily Treston 200 free 2:43.67; Mateus Suarez (8) 500 free 8:40.35, 25 fly 20.49, 25 breast 27.63, 100 breast 1:52.59, 200 IM 3:47.00, 200 free 3:22.72, 100 IM 1:37.96, 50 breast 50.97; Barrow West (8) 50 back 45.91; Smith Durham (8) 200 IM 4:10.31; Girls 10 and under 200 free relay (E. Treston, Marie Brooks, Maia Cole-Undurrago, M. Suarez) 2:18.15; Girls 12 & U 200 medley relay (Coleen Chuidian, Woodruff, Anabelle Sullivan, Harper Durham) 2:15.95; Girls 14 & under 200 MR (Foy, Soboleff, Annabelle Woodruff, Madeline Rose Manlulu) 1:59.65, 200 free relay (A. Woodruff, Foy, Soboleff, Manlulu) 1:48.89; Girls 200 MR (Chapell, Miller, Avery Smith, Fisher) 1:59.80; Boys 14 and under 200 MR (Keagan Andrews, Henry Thatcher, Phelps, Zach Holden) 1:57.92; and Boys 200 MR (Kiessling, Joshua Edwards, Clive Mateo, Chedi Giron) 1:52.28.

Girls/Boys High-Point Awards (first place and all GSC placers):

Girls 8 & U – 1. Maisy Zweifel 50 VSC; 3. S. Durham 44; 6. Jones 26.50; 9. Ellie Odom 13.50; 10. Acacia Forbes 12.

Boys 8 & U – 1. M. Suarez 72; West 32; Finn Taintor 24.50.

Girls 9-10 – 1. M. Suarez 61; 2. E. Treston 54; 6. Cole-Undurraga 38; 8. Brooks 17.

Boys 9-10 – 1. Malachi Calvin 70 KKW; 9. Brayden Sullivan 19.

Girls 11-12 – 1. Tori Miller 63 VSC; 2. M. Woodruff 57; 5. A. Sullivan 32; 7. Chuidian 31; 8. Harper Durham 26; 9. Evelyn Hochstoeger 25.

Boys 11-12 – 1. Roman Olsen 63 KKW; 5. A. Treston 50; 6. Albrecht 43; 7. Joshua Ely 33; 8. Rowan Taintor 30; 9. Reid Cummings 28; 10 Sam Thatcher 26.

Girls 13 & O – 1. Taryn Fleming 55 BBSC; 3. A. Woodruff 36; 3. Liddle 36; 6. Miller 31; 8. Soboleff 28; 9. Foy 27; 9 Chapell 27.

Boys 13 & O – 1. Zach Martens 59 BBSC; 3. Phelps 46; 4. Edwards 42; 7. Kiessling 34; 8. Holden 27.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.