Islander Scores Two Medals at State Championships

Lely High School junior Caelan Burt brought home two medals from the FHSAA Swimming & Diving State Championships, November 18-19, in Stuart.

Burt placed fourth in the 100-metre freestyle and fifth in the 50 metre freestyle events. Both finishes earned her a trip to the medals podium.

“Going on the podium for the first time,” Caelan Burt said, "I was really excited. That was my favorite part. And I got to go on the podium twice, so that was super-cool.”

To make it to the podium, Burt first had to do well in her morning races.

"Everyone swims in the morning,” Burt said, "and if you finish in the top 16, you swim again at night.”

Burt said she was a little nervous at first but decided to turn her nervous energy into something that would help her.

"I decided to be excited and go for my goals,” she said. "I did it. And I achieved them. So that was fun.”

Burt was stronger in the finals heats for both races. She finished with a time of 51.51 in the 100 freestyle and 23.91 in the 50.

“In the finals I finished higher that I expected in the 50 free,” she said, "which I was excited about. In the 100 free I finished right where I thought I would.”

Burt said the atmosphere was electric at the state championships.

“The announcer was really loud and he got everybody excited and energetic,” she said. "Everyone was screaming. It gets you pumped up. Everyone is just on their A game and it’s a really good atmosphere.”

Burt celebrated her success in the pool by joining her family on a Thanksgiving trip to visit her sister Maddy, a junior on the University of Arizona swim team. She said her sister is her biggest ally.

"She’s really good at giving pep talks,” Burt said, "and telling me that I’m going to do good and that I just need to be relaxed. It helps that she’s been through it already. She’s always there for me."

Burt is already looking forward to her senior year in the pool. She knows her YMCA swim coach, Kamal Farhat, will have a plan that will help her to reach her potential.

"I’m really excited for next year,” Burt said, “because I improved a lot from my sophomore to my junior year. So I’m looking forward to improving even more. Kamal’s just a great coach. He knows what to give me to help me succeed. So I plan to keep practicing with him and keep pushing myself. He will always know what’s best for me. I trust him.”