FIU recruit was among those who improvised when swimming pools closed during pandemic

Anelis Roque swam with a turtle.

That’s what the swimming standout did this past summer when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of the pool where she used to train.

Roque, a senior who attends Pinecrest Prep Charter but swims for Ferguson, was named first-team All-Dade last year after she finished fourth in the state in the 100 butterfly. She also made first-team All-Dade in the 100 backstroke.

But when everything got shut down in March, it was really hard for her mentally.

“It was terrible,” Roque said. “I was so bored and unmotivated. I go stir crazy when I’m away from my sport. My mom says I’m like a fish out of water when I can’t swim.”

That’s why Roque jumped — literally — at the chance to train at the lake behind the Kendall home of Kirk Peppas, her coach at Metro Aquatic Club of Miami.

Peppas said he made sure the lake was safe, first and foremost. But he said the lake has an Aquaphor water filtration system that pumps in clean water.

“Other coaches used the ocean when they could,” Peppas said, “just so that the kids could maintain their skills.”

Roque has a pool in her backyard, but it isn’t nearly big enough to use for adequate training. Jumping in the lake was an easy call for her.

“I was determined to get back into swimming,” she said. “I was tired of being stuck at home.”

Roque, who has a scholarship to swim for FIU next year, said about 16 club members started training at Peppas’ lake, three times a week. The workouts consisted of a one-hour swim in the lake and a one-hour jog around the neighborhood.

“[Peppas] said the water in the lake was filtered, and there was no risk of parasites or harmful bacteria,” said Roque, who aspires to be a doctor. “But I took no chances. I wore ear plugs, a nose plug, goggles and a snorkel so I wouldn’t swallow any water.”

As for that turtle, that was just one of the animals Roque encountered on her lake swims.

“Thankfully, I didn’t see any gators, but my hand hit a fish once,” Roque said. “I knew it was a fish because it felt slimy.

“I freaked out. I screamed and got out of the water immediately. It was a little traumatic.”

Roque recovered from the “trauma” and is now training at the Tamiami Park pool, hoping to compete at the state championships Nov. 13-14 in Stuart, assuming the pandemic doesn’t cause disruption to the meet.

After that, she will join her sister Angelina on the FIU swim team. Angelina will be a senior next year, giving her one season on the same collegiate team as her kid sister.

“Angelina’s been my rock in swimming,” Roque said. “I’ve had emotional breakdowns when my times didn’t improve, and my sister told me to push through and not give up. She also had times where she hit a plateau and didn’t get better until college.”

Roque, who plans to sign with FIU on Nov. 11, has gotten lots of good advice.

Roque said FIU swim coach Randy Horner gave her counsel just before the state meet last year, telling her to not go all out for her first 50 meters, holding back some energy for her finishing kick.

The advice worked, and Roque said Horner’s patient coaching style convinced her to commit to FIU instead of the other schools that recruited her, including Houston, Navy and Cornell.

Once she arrives at FIU, Roque — who has a 4.87 GPA weighted and 3.93 GPA unweighted — plans to study biology or chemistry initially before ultimately going into medicine.

In the meantime, she will continue to train as a swimmer, especially since she can now use a pool instead of the lake.

“This year has tested the character of these kids,” Peppas said. “When we got back in the pool, they were so exuberant that we had to make sure they didn’t hurt themselves or over-train.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ Palmetto junior Kyle Korvick finished third in the state last year in the 100 free and fourth in the 200 free. He has recruiting interest from N.C. State, Michigan, Virginia and Florida.

▪ Twin sisters Elena Dinehart and Olivia Dinehart — sophomores at Cutler Bay — both made first-team All-Dade last year. Olivia was a state runner-up in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the state in the 200 IM. Elena was 12th at state in the 200 free.

▪ Coral Reef senior Dominic Bono, who finished ninth at state last year in the 200 IM, committed to Youngstown State as a swimmer. Bono plans to study illustration, and his goal is to work in theme park concept design.

▪ Belen graduated former state champ Andres Wong but returns senior Hector Paz, the 2020 team captain. Paz finished eighth at state in the 200 and 500 free. At regionals, he was he was second in the 500 and third in the 200.

▪ Miami Country Day coach Eric Scheingoltz believes MCD sophomore, Dylan Smiley, could be an Olympic Trials qualifier by next year in the 100 breast and the 100 fly. “I’ve been coaching since 1996,” Scheingoltz said, “and he’s the best swimmer I’ve ever had.”

▪ Cutler Bay senior Miguel Sierra, who finished fourth at state last year in the 100 fly, is being recruited by the University of Tampa.

▪ Sophomore Madeline Smutny, who also attends Cutler Bay, finished 10th at state last year in the 500.

▪ Senior Chloe Hernandez is another swimmer to watch. She was a state runner-up in the 50 free last year while competing for Gulliver.

This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 12:48 PM.