By Rich Fisher, Contributing Editor
When Keira Whitaker was first exposed to a pool, she wasn’t scared of drowning as much as she was about being eaten alive.
“Swimming has always been a big part of my family,” Whitaker said. “I was actually pretty scared at first when I was four. I was convinced there were sharks in the pool, but that fear didn’t last long.”
And that discovery of courage has aided the St. Rose High, Belmar team 12 years later as Whitaker has become one of the Shore Conference’s top swimmers.
The junior has won 13 races in three different individual events this season, while contributing to six first-place finishes in three different relays. She placed third in the Monmouth County meet in the 500-yard freestyle and seventh in the 100 butterfly.
As a sophomore, Whitaker was a key contributor on multiple record-breaking relay teams for the Purple Roses and competed at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions.
“Keira is a phenomenal and incredibly versatile athlete with a true team-first mentality,” coach DJ Desomma said. “She excels in freestyle, butterfly, and breaststroke, but she can really do it all.”
It’s that versatility that makes Whitaker so impressive. This year she has mainly done the 100 fly and 500 free. As a freshman and sophomore, it was the 100 breast and distance freestyle.
“I have always focused on distance freestyle, but during my freshman and sophomore years I worked hard to improve my breaststroke, and this past year I started competing more in butterfly,” Whitaker said. “Over time, this helped me become more versatile across all four strokes.
“It definitely did not come naturally. I had to work especially hard on backstroke and butterfly, but the effort has paid off.”
Often swimmers are asked to go beyond their normal events due to team needs, but Whitaker took it upon herself to become more well-rounded.
“I mainly do different events for myself because I enjoy being able to swim all four strokes,” the Bradley Beach resident said. “I like the challenge of pushing myself outside my comfort zone and constantly improving.
“Being versatile keeps swimming exciting and motivates me to work harder in practice. While it can help the team, my biggest reasons are personal growth and enjoyment.”
Whitaker considers the 400 IM, distance freestyles and butterfly as her top events, although the 1000 free and 200 fly are offered at the club level.
“She swims for the New Jersey Race Club (NJRC), where many of her standout performances come in distance freestyle events longer than the ones we see in NJSIAA competitions,” Desomma noted.
Whitaker began organized swimming for a small team, Ronan Aquatics, before switching to NJRC at age 10. She credits her coach, Andreas Rostenberg, for being a major influence on her career.
“He consistently pushes me to be my best,” she said. “He is very honest and always helps me find ways to improve.”
Whitaker considers winning the Shore Conference 200 freestyle relay last year as a major high school highlight. She did so with cousin Molly Cullen, Abby Condon and Lucy Annitto. For her club career she is proud of dropping significant time in the 400 individual medley.
Unlike some club swimmers, who don’t invest a lot of time in their high school team, Whitaker stands front and center with St. Rose.
“Even as a junior Keira is a leader for our girls team and often sets the standard our other swimmers strive to achieve,” Desomma said. “Her positivity is contagious, and her ability to step into any event and perform at a high level makes her invaluable to our team.”
As a Christian, Whitaker enjoys the atmosphere of faith around both the swim team and the school itself.
“Faith is important to me,” she said. “I enjoy going to Mass at school and I often pray before my races. Our team also prays together before every meet, which is something I really value.
“Catholic education has made me think about my impact on the world around me in more ways. Especially at St. Rose, the teachers and counselors support you not just as a student but as a person, and you see how important it is to volunteer and give back to the community.”
Keira does just that. She is a member of the Surfrider and Make-A-Wish clubs at school and is starting to form her own club – O.A.S.I.S. – which addresses drug overdose issues.
With another full year left in high school, Whitaker is taking time to ponder life after graduation.
“I am still deciding whether I want to swim in college, but it is something I am strongly considering,” she said. “I am interested in pursuing a major related to business.”