Peoria Area Water Wizards 415 W. Richmond Avenue Ivan Borissov, Coach 309-712-7299 | ||||||||||
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Who’s Making a Big Splash By Connie Kamin-Cloat (reprinted from Midwestern Family) It
isn’t often one gets to meet a record breaker, but I recently had the
opportunity to meet Matt Elliott, a young man who has broken three state records
in the breast stroke—and he just graduated from grade school! Matt
broke the state record in the (age) 14 and under 200M breast stroke at the
Illinois Senior Championships, with a time of 2:05.19, which was faster than his
previous state record of 2:07.94. He also broke a state record in the 14 and
under 400 IM, with a time of 4:07.37, breaking a 4:08.96 record set in 1998. Matt
also participated in the Speedo Sectionals His
raw talent and enthusiasm aside, how did Matt propel himself to such levels of
achievement before hitting his 15th birthday? Matt is a member of the
Peoria Area Water Wizards (PAWW), a year-round swim club sponsored by the Peoria
Park District and coached by Ivan Borissov. With more than 160 members ages 5 to
18, the team practices six days per week at the Park District’s Central Park
Pool.
Matt’s
early introduction to the pool may have fueled his interest in the sport. “I
started taking swim lessons at the age of three,” said Matt, “but I didn’t
start competing until I was nine. I remember my first swim meet, I was young and
inexperienced because I was just learning.” The learning curve for Matt was a
relatively short one. PAWW has a series of developmental stages for each
participant, from beginning non-competitive swimmers who are just learning
proper stroke technique up to advanced, competitive swimmers. The team is also
structured into four different groups to insure each swimmer receives individual
attention and instruction for their level of swimming. With
such a support system in place, Matt had his first win in the 50 yard breast
stroke at a Journal Star Swim Meet at age eleven. He is listed in the Top Ten
Swim Times in more than 10 categories by Illinois Swimming, the The
PAWW organization is capable of propelling him beyond state titles. PAWW
is a member of USA Swimming, the national governing body for amateur competitive
swimming in the United States. USA Swimming is responsible for the development of Olympic-caliber swimmers
through a broad-based age-group program. The group is a major member of the
United States Olympic Committee, and Illinois Swimming, Inc., the local swim
committee that charters teams and registers swimmers in the state. At 14 years old, Matt trains twice a day with drills and sprints as well as long distance swimming. Coach Ivan has him swimming the butterfly stroke and freestyle for strength training, but Matt says he “really needs to work on my backstroke.” Matt uses weights for cross training and increases repetitions to build muscle in his arms and legs.
Who
are the heroes of such an accomplished young man? Matt looks up to Brendan
Hanson, a Matt
plans to compete on the Richwoods
For
more information on the PAWW Swim Team, call Coach Ivan Borissov at
309-712-7299, and for information on Peoria Park District Swim Lessons, call Sue
Wheeler at 309-282-1531.
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Matt Elliott: A Young
Swimmer
Like
Matt, many of the PAWW swimmers get their start in the Peoria Park District’s
Swim Lesson Program, with classes for children as young as six months. The
lessons, taught at Lakeview and 
Despite
all his time in the pool, Matt finds time to enjoy other activities as well,
including basketball and several other sports in school. But his love for
swimming is evident. “I really like swimming because it is an individual
sport.” he said. “You have to beat yourself.” His PAWW teammates, many of
them older, help push him to be his best.