The Spirit of Perseverance

Then couple them with strategizing coaches who can command the respect of the swimmers while conducting effective and challenging practices and the dream is within reach. The 2023-2024 Pueo Swimming team appeared to check off every box on the aforementioned checklist for success this season.

The Maui Prep Swimming program has spent the better part of its history trying to assert itself in the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL). Although many venerated Maui club swimmers have donned green Pueo swim caps during the high school swimming season (including HHSAA champions Sky Hirsch ‘14, Danielle Jefferies ‘15 and Kysha Altura ‘18), the Pueo team finally achieved the depth in 2023, when both boys and girls squads won first-ever MIL team championships. With the deep roster and co-head coaches Gabby Suzik and Lindsey Masterson in place, the swimmers set their sights on the “back to back” status. However, the Lahaina inferno created a massive disadvantage. They were without a proper pool to train in. When the team unveiled its swag for the season, the words “No pool…no excuses…” were emblazoned on their shirts.

The Lahaina Aquatic Center, though visually undamaged, sits squarely in the middle of the burn zone. The Kihei Aquatic Center (and its resident club team, Island Aquatics) graciously opened their lanes to Lahaina swimmers, but the commute to South Maui was daunting. With the help of BOT President Jim Bozich, the Breakers Condominium opened its pool to the team, allowing the swimmers to resume training just weeks after the fire. Its expansive deck, depth, length, and trusty pumps and filters fulfilled the team’s needs, and the swimmers took very well to the built-in hot tub.

Coach Masterson, recently named co-MIL Coach of the Year along with Coach Suzik, likened the team’s preparation to the training resources of Rocky Balboa. While the coaches did not send the team running through scrap yards clutching bricks, they still faced a great disadvantage without a regulation competition pool. Imagine changing the height or diameter of the basketball hoop, lowering the volleyball net, or moving the service box on the tennis court. The team determined early that this would not be an impediment to a successful season. “We did it all because we had to prove to our community that our town is still strong,” said Team Captain Danna Kupeman ‘24. “We persevered to do the best we can, individually and as a team.”

Competition pools have consistent features. Thick black lines are centered down each lane to guide the swimmer down a straight course. Near each end of the pool, the lines end in a T-shape to alert the swimmer that he's nearing the wall. More markings on the wall and flags strung overhead guide the swimmer to the wall. Perimeter gutters also prevent the turbulent water from reverberating off the walls and keeps the water at an even level. While the team was grateful for the condominium pool, it was not built for training.

Perhaps the most important detail is the subtle, yet significant, difference between yards and meters. The regulation length for a competition pool is 25 yards. The Breakers' pool rang in at 25 meters, or 27.34 yards, a solid 7 feet longer than the pool where they race for personal bests, school records, and MIL titles. Coach Masterson believes that the swimmers used the length discrepancy to their advantage, having to exert a little more effort each lap. However, in a sport where success is measured in hundredths of a second, these swimmers want to have each lap dialed in. “I think it made the kids tougher,” Masterson laughs, “It was like training in the ocean.” Kuperman immediately took the “glass half full” approach to the new facility. “I made one-of-a-kind memories with all the girls,” Kuperman recalls fondly, “We laughed through the backsplash of the water that bounced from wall to wall.”

The condo pool also has only two lanes, as opposed to the five they usually distributed themselves over. Coaches assign them training intervals that match their speed, strength, and endurance. This ensures that each swimmer will have effective and challenging training. With 18 swimmers in two lanes, Masterson modified her workouts. “At times we didn't get enough mileage, struggled to keep the lane order, or strictly did 50s and 100s because that is what we could do,” recalls Kuperman. “Because we were so close physically, we got so close emotionally.”

Difficulty in training adequately for the backstroke put team captain Carter Bozich ‘24 at a disadvantage. “I couldn't do backstroke sets, or practice backstroke because of the non-competition pool. We also weren't able to get nearly as many yards in as we used to because there were so many kids in one lane.” However, it made Bozich’s come-from-behind victory in the 100 backstroke at the MIL championship meet even more of a triumph for the entire team.

Masterson tasked herself with “giving everyone who was there just what they needed.” Sacha Salem ‘26, three-time MIL champion and winner of two bronze medals at the state championship meet, is a distance swimmer, owning the school record in the 500 yard freestyle. The workout she needs to build her endurance is quite different from the needs of 200 yard IM State Champion Noah Caiserman ‘25 who posted a blazing fast 20.80 seconds in 50 yard freestyle. “We had to emphasize quality over quantity,” explained Masterson. “We only had a short amount of time, so we had to really focus.”Despite these challenges, the swim team never took stock of what they lost. “I knew right away what made this team entirely different from past ones in that everything we did was done with meaning behind it,” explains Kuperman.

Bozich saw the benefit of “making the best of what the cards deal you at all times. It's important to keep everything in perspective and appreciate the blessings given to you.”

Arrangements were made for the team to travel by bus to the Kihei pool on Friday evenings. It was hardly apparent that they did not have consistent training on the starting blocks when the Pueo swimmers claimed 5 of 6 MIL relay titles, and qualified 4 teams to the finals of the K Mark Takai HHSAA State Championship meet. “To wind up where they did is impressive,” reflects Masterson. “There was improvement across the board.”The MIL team titles were not the highlight of the season for the former UCLA swimmer.

Masterson will always look fondly on the effort they gave throughout the season. “I really think this will make them better people. They won’t forget it and I know I won’t.” The Pueo always had the largest entourage at every meet, from extended family members to classmates who showed up at the Kihei pool. Each Friday night meet ended with a tailgate dinner in the parking lot. “This year's team was special because we all bonded, and truly hoped the best for one another,” commented Bozich.

So while the media and the team’s swag playfully played up the “no pool,” they did not dwell on that, ever. “The Breakers kept the team together and the kids recognized that,” observes Masterson. Kuperman leaves the Pueo swim program at its peak. “We came together despite the tragedy and had the most successful season because of it. This being my last swim season ever, it was the most memorable because of the ups and downs of it all.”