One of Cathedral Catholic’s own swimmers is headed for a top-ranked university team. Standout senior swimmer Chelsea Weedman, who has an extensive succesful history in swim at Cathedral, will be attending Pennsylvania State University following her graduation in June.
She chose Penn State for many reasons, but the most important factors were the team, the coaches, and the school spirit.
She said, “They are rebuilding the team and being a part of that was exciting to me. What is there not to love about Penn State? They do have the largest football stadium in the western hemisphere. Penn State is just so well known for its athletics, and I wanted to be a part of that legacy. It was just the place for me. “
Chelsea has been swimming competitively for about eleven years. She became involved in swim at a young age when her mom entered her into swimming lessons.
“When I was about six,” Chelsea said, “the swim teacher just said I should join our local swim team because I was good enough, and it has stuck ever since.”
Currently, Chelsea’s best events in high school are the100m breaststroke and the 200 IM events. Ironically, her best events, the 200m butterfly and the 400 IM, aren’t part of high school swimming competitions.
Each day, Chelsea swims an average of five miles, spending from 2 ½ to 4 ½ hours each day training.
Chelsea’s considers the following her biggest achievements: qualifying for Nationals in the 200m butterfly event, qualifying for the Olympic trials, and winning the team title for the past two years at CIF.
Chelsea’s goals for this year’s swim team are to win the team title again at CIF. Personally, she hopes to win her fourth straight title in the 100m breaststroke event and to qualify for more events for Nationals.
When it comes down to it, Chelsea says she enjoys swimming because of the end result. “That feeling you get after an awesome race. It’s also nice not having to worry about staying in shape,” she said. “It’s just a feel good thing for me after a long, stressful day. Let’s my mind rest.”