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11/18/2024 10:52 PMFamily and swimming have gone hand-in-hand for Sami Chemacki’s athletic life. She was influenced by her immediate family to dive into the lanes, and through that, she has created a new one that has helped spur her success with the Hand girls’ swimming and diving team.
The senior started out in sports around the age of 5, trying everything from soccer to gymnastics and dance. She looked to emulate her older sister Abbi and follow in her footsteps as a swimmer, so she took up the pool around the age of 8.
While also adding water polo to her athletic regimen, Sami worked her way up to being a senior captain and 100 breaststroke specialist–most recently breaking the Hand record in that event at an opportune moment for the Class S State Trials on Nov. 9 in 1:11.46.
“I love swimming because it is where my mind gets to breathe. I love the team and the sport. Water polo is a very physical sport, and you do a lot of legwork. It has made me ready for the breaststroke and helped with my sprinting,” says Sami. “My training has helped me, but also the people supporting me. I talk to my sister all the time about swimming, and my mom comes to all my meets to cheer me on. You also want a coach that pushes you to be the best. [Hand girls’ swimming Head Coach] Scott Butler has done that, and also my club coach Jen Lyman has done that. A positive attitude has also helped me, along with my teammates. We have built a family here.”
Sami’s record-setting showing may come with little shock when considering her background, as her home in the lanes has been the breaststroke since the jump. Still, she has taken on various different strokes and distances while knowing that an open heart and clear head cannot lose.
“I did breaststroke my first year swimming, and so did my sister. I knew I had to beat her times, and I looked at the record boards at Hand and saw the record. Breaking that record was incredible,” says Sami. “I also started to swim the individual medley (IM), and I liked the different parts of it. I also thrive in the 500 and 1,000 free events during my club season. I want to keep trying with my mile because I feel when I am there, I am alone with my thoughts. It is 18 minutes in the water where I can relax and stay in a positive mindset.”
In a sport where one is constantly trying to top others based on tangible numbers, Sami notes the mental pitfalls of that can be hard to ignore. Yet she does not let them get too deep into her psyche by knowing that the water is her place of mental nourishment.
“I have struggled keeping positive thoughts at times because it is human nature to compare yourself to others,” Sami says. “But I still create a positive mindset to push forward. I meditate and visualize what I want to do before a big meet; I know my stroke counts and everything else. I use my nerves towards swimming. I also tell myself that I got this before every race. The pool is my space, and I do not let anything outside of it control me.”
In elements away from the action, Sami also looked to emulate her sister. She adds that being a genuinely compassionate soul with strong character is almost second nature to her, as she wants to help younger teammates find the confidence to soar.
“My sister was captain during my freshman year, so I wanted to be one as well,” says Sami. “Being a captain comes naturally to me I think. I have formed connections with every girl on the team, and they know it is okay to come to me about anything. It makes them want to come to practice every day. I want them to feel positive and comfortable to do their best.”
Knowing Sami for quite some time now, Butler explains that she acts as not only the consummate professional and leader, but also an indispensable cheerleader for the group. She has become a pillar of pushing the culture the Tigers look to develop.
“Sami is the epitome of what a captain should be--a true leader, in every way, shape, and form. She is not only our Most Valuable Player (MVP), but she is her teammates’ biggest fan. She takes control, communicates, cheers, and consoles better than any captain I have ever had,” said Butler. “The community that she, along with co-captain Lillian Miller, and I have cultivated here is something special. We help raise the bar for one another, which ultimately raises the bar for the whole team. Teammates push teammates to become better, both better swimmers and better people. The team has become her passion, and everyone around her has become better because of her. I have known her since she was about 11, and she has always been the first to arrive, the last to leave, and has shown a level of commitment that few share.”
In her send-off remarks to the Tigers, Sami does nothing less than express her grandest gratitude for the group she has been surrounded by daily for four years. It was a close-knit group that was there for her lowest lows and her biggest triumphs.
“Hand has been a family to me, and I am grateful to have everyone here. I fractured my tibia last year, and everyone supported me through it, which made me feel loved,” says Sami, who has committed to swim at Campbell University. “I have never felt forgotten, and I know my work does not go unseen. All of this has helped build up my confidence. I am grateful to practice with them every day, and we all came together to be the best we can be.”