Victoria Krivitsky (‘13) has a goal. A big goal. The Summer Olympics.
“I’d at least like to make the Olympic trials,” she explained, “in 2016 or 2020.”
Krivitsky, a sophomore at Norwell High School, is a member of the South Shore YMCA Strypers Swim Team as well as the Norwell High School Clippers Swim Team. Last year, she placed 4th with a 1:07 time in the age group 13 to 14 year olds in New England for the 100 yard breaststroke (for you non-swimmers out there, that means she swam four laps of a 25 yard pool in just 1 minute and 7 seconds)! She has also gone to YMCA Nationals for the past 3 years and has broken several team records.
“I compete in the other strokes but breaststroke is by far my favorite and best stroke,” she said. “I’m strongest in the short course yards so this season, I’ve been working on making my breaststroke more fast and powerful for the long course season, which is geared toward Olympic distances.”
Victoria has been swimming for almost as long as she has been in Montessori. “I started swimming competitively when I was 6 years old,” she says. When asked how Montessori and Inly School have influenced where she is now and her swimming ambitions, Victoria said, “My Montessori education has taught me to challenge myself and push myself to achieve my goals, even if they’re big. It’s also taught me how to be a leader…In high school, leadership is often tied to age—so juniors and seniors are looked to as leaders—but l’ve learned from Montessori that you can be a leader at any age. That makes me feel comfortable around upperclassmen and comfortable being a leader…We’re all family here.”
Victoria competed in YMCA Nationals last year for both short and long courses. The YMCA National Short course was held in North Carolina and the YMCA Long Course was held in Indianapolis. This year, she is competing in Sectionals, which will be held in Ithaca, New York.
“Our coach is making big plans for us,” she says, “I’m working up to a certain level of yardage and then I taper down before my meets. It’s a process.”
When asked how she finds time for school with all her swimming, Victoria laughed and said, “There have definitely been times where I’ve done my homework in my car while my Mom is driving me to and from practice, but it’s ok. I’m used to it by now and I don’t mind juggling everything.”
Stay tuned for future updates as Victoria pursues her swimming dreams!