Camaraderie, competition and coaching motivate Elgin Blue Wave

The Elgin Blue Wave masters swimming team has the best of both worlds.

The adult club, for swimmers 18 years and older, attracts a diverse group of members from all over the Fox Valley both in terms of skill and personality - which creates an enjoyable atmosphere from both a competitive and social perspective.

The club also benefits from the coaching of Corinne Grotenhuis - who started the team over 20 years ago and is also a highly decorated competitive weightlifter.

Those two elements combined to produce yet another successful season recently for the Blue Wave - which calls the Elgin Recreation Center home (the team started out at the Taylor YMCA in Elgin).

The Blue Wave recently edged the Chicago Smelts for the third-place team trophy at the Illinois Masters Swimming Association state meet in DeKalb.

"We had 20 swimmers come to the state meet," notes Grotenhuis, who points out the club's 60-or-so person roster was assembled through word-of-mouth.

"We got third place going up against teams with 100-200 swimmers. We broke some state records. Everybody did very well at state. We were down by over 90 points and came back and got third by 3.5 points. I think it's an exceptional feat that a small group accomplished."

Former Elgin High School swimmer Ben Culver broke two state records in the 1,000 free (9:46.65) and 400 IM (4:12.44). Jennie Quill broke a state record in the 200 butterfly, while Jen Harrison won the women's 1,000 state title in her 35-39 age bracket.

Culver's 1,000 free time was the fastest time ever by an ILMSA swimmer in any age group.

A total of 20 men and 17 women scored points in individual events for Elgin at the state meet.

Grotenhuis, a Larkin High School alum, also noted the team's women's 55-59 age group earned All-American status in the 400 and 800 relays.

The Blue Wave also had three swimmers (Quill, Jim Campana and Jack Eggar) place in the top 10 at the USMS Short Course Yards Championships in Atlanta.

Campana, a 58-year-old St. Charles resident, has been swimming with the team for the last few years. Campana seeks out swimming competitions in a variety of states. He won state titles in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin this past season.

"It's a great group of people," Campana says. "Forget about the talent. It's a group of people that you really like being around. You can't believe how much of a difference that makes. Somehow, Corrine always gets people like that."

Culver, who swam collegiately at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, says the camaraderie really shines during meets.

"Not so much at practice because we're swimming all the time," he chuckles. "At the meets, you get to talk to the people you usually don't swim with during practice."

Schaumburg resident Oz Osborne enjoys the relationships he's forged with teammates away from the pool.

"We go out on different outings," the 64-year-old Osborne says, noting his age matches the Beatles' song of the same number. "One of the guys is in a blues band and plays the harmonica. A dozen of us went to watch him. We had the Blackhawks game in one ear and him in the other and then we went out for drinks."

Culver, who still lives in Elgin, originally became involved with the team as a way to further train for triathlons (Grotenhuis says that is a motivation for others on the team as well). He says his time with the Blue Wave has made all of the difference in the world.

"I talk to swimmers on other teams and you can tell we have the toughest practices in Illinois," Culver says. "Nobody goes as hard and as fast as we do, for sure.

"One year, I tried swimming by myself. It was a disaster. I don't know what it is. With this team you have somebody on deck cheering you on and pushing you. You've got your teammates there."

Many Blue Wave swimmers heap all of the credit for their individual and the team's successes on Grotenhuis - a 7-time world champion masters weightlifting champion.

"We've got great coaching and a very positive environment," says Quill, a 60-year-old Geneva resident, who had 5 Top 10 finishes at the national meet in Atlanta (third-place medals in both the 100 and 200 butterfly). "Everyone of every ability here is valued and that's not the case on all teams. It's really a tribute to Corinne's coaching. She is marvelous at getting the best out of everyone and setting a good tone for the entire season. She really cares about people and cares about what they want to achieve. People have different goals and different reasons for being here. She does her best to accommodate as many as she can."

"Corinne is an absolutely great coach," says Osborne, who placed in the Top 7 in all 11 events he competed in at state and was in the running for the overall points title in his age group. "I've been pushed harder than I've pushed myself the last 25 years. I've gotten great results out of this. She's pushed me and made me a great swimmer."

Campana sometimes does a double take at some of the things Grotenhuis requests. But at the end of the day, he knows the reasoning behind them.

"I've swam for a lot of good coaches and she's the best I've swam for," Campana says. "She'll tell you do something and you do it because you know she will get you to where you want to go and then you'll say, 'Hey, this is great, I just did that.'"

The team members also know talent when they see it.

"Ben (Culver) is a rocket," lauds Quill.

Thanks to a talented group of swimmers and a dedicated coach like Grotenhuis, the Blue Wave will need some rest after yet another banner campaign.