Mason Whaley sits with his barrage of swimming trophies he has accrued over his 10 years with the Louisburg Barracudas. (Photo by Andy Brown / andybrown@micnews.com)
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Whaley a constant for Barracuda swimming
15-year-old has been with program since its inception
By Andy Brown, andybrown@miconews.com
He is only 15 years old, but Mason Whaley has seen it all — at least when it comes to Louisburg swimming, anyway.
The Louisburg Barracudas, which just celebrated their 10-year anniversary this season, have seen a lot of people come and go from the program, but Mason has been the one constant. He swam each of the 10 years and has been the only one to do that.
“The weirdest thing is all the change that we have gone through,” Mason said. “We have had four coaches. Every time a coach changes, everything changes quite a bit. The first year we played games every Wednesday. Most of the coaching methods are pretty much the same, but other stuff changes.”
With the start of every season though, one thing has remained the same, Mason will hit the water swimming away. He has seen the program start from its humble beginnings, to this season as the most successful in the team’s history.
The Barracudas took second in the South Suburban League and defeated Paola for the first time. They also nearly upended Harrisonville, Mo., for the first time, losing by just a handful of points.
Mason has had some success as well. He has won the league’s high-point title twice, including last year in the 13-14-year-old division. This year, however, in the program’s brightest season, Mason struggled.
He moved to the bigger 15-and-over division and the saw competition skyrocket.
“It is a lot tougher,” Mason said. “Last year and the year before I pretty much won everything, and now going against a lot older kids, and kids that swim year-round is tough, especially since I only swim in the summer.
“The first meet was pretty easy, so it was a gradual step. But I was a little intimidated when the competition started getting better because it didn’t turn out like it usually did. I wasn’t getting first place all the time anymore.”
It all started for Mason 10 years ago when the Louisburg Aquatic Center was being constructed. Mason’s mother, Paula, called Jana Ferris, who started the Barracuda swim program, and signed her son up at the tender age of six.
However, watching Mason’s first week of practice, Paula was beginning to wonder if she had made a mistake.
“The first week he swam it was horrifying for me because I wasn’t sure what I got my son into because he stopped three times in one length,” Paula said. “Then in his first meet he made it the whole length without stopping, and I was so proud.”
It wasn’t a coincidence how Mason got started in the pool, however. Paula grew up in the pool and was a state champion diver in high school and later dove at the University of Kansas for two years and was a Big Eight champion.
Paula was hoping to pass on her love of swimming to her son, and it appears she did just that, even though the first couple of years were a little rocky at times.
“At 6 years old you never know what will come of it,” she said. “As a parent, you always think your child is going to be a prodigy or something like that, but I thought he would be a great swimmer. Ironically, it took him a couple years to do a dive off the starting block, much to my dismay.”
Mason has come a long way since his infant stage in the pool. He can do a lot more than dive off the starting block or finish races — he is winning them.
Even after a down year this season, Mason is thinking about taking another step in his swim career and swimming year-round. The problem is, he plays football and wrestles at Louisburg High School, so he might have to start narrowing his scope if he wants to find time for the pool.
“I am kind of interested to see how he would do if he decides to swim year-round,” Paula said. “The only swimmers that push him are the ones that swim year-round and the older kids in the 15 and over group. That is a big age group, and he swims with the big boys.”
Paula has also noticed a big improvement with Mason in second-year head coach Kyle Farrington. Farrington has helped Mason shave several seconds off his times and eventually helped him to his league title last year.
But all that success doesn’t happen if not for a lot of early mornings. During the summer, Mason reports to practice at 6:15 every morning to help with lane lines at the pool and practices until 8 with the rest of the team.
Although Mason is the only 10-year swimmer with the Barracudas, there are several that have been with the program almost as long. Anne Edmonds swam for the first nine years and became as assistant coach this past season, while Kyle Wilder also swam the first nine seasons.
It has also become a family affair for the Whaley’s. Mason’s sister, Lexie, has swam for seven years now and is making her name known in the 11-12 year old division.
Even with all the trophies sitting in his room, Mason is still not satisfied. He has gotten a taste of success and has excelled at every age group, but there is one hurdle left — the tough 15-and-over group.
“It felt good to be the best in the league,” Mason said. “And I want to be again.”
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The Louisburg Barracudas, which just celebrated their 10-year anniversary this season, have seen a lot of people come and go from the program, but Mason has been the one constant. He swam each of the 10 years and has been the only one to do that.
“The weirdest thing is all the change that we have gone through,” Mason said. “We have had four coaches. Every time a coach changes, everything changes quite a bit. The first year we played games every Wednesday. Most of the coaching methods are pretty much the same, but other stuff changes.”
With the start of every season though, one thing has remained the same, Mason will hit the water swimming away. He has seen the program start from its humble beginnings, to this season as the most successful in the team’s history.
The Barracudas took second in the South Suburban League and defeated Paola for the first time. They also nearly upended Harrisonville, Mo., for the first time, losing by just a handful of points.
Mason has had some success as well. He has won the league’s high-point title twice, including last year in the 13-14-year-old division. This year, however, in the program’s brightest season, Mason struggled.
He moved to the bigger 15-and-over division and the saw competition skyrocket.
“It is a lot tougher,” Mason said. “Last year and the year before I pretty much won everything, and now going against a lot older kids, and kids that swim year-round is tough, especially since I only swim in the summer.
“The first meet was pretty easy, so it was a gradual step. But I was a little intimidated when the competition started getting better because it didn’t turn out like it usually did. I wasn’t getting first place all the time anymore.”
It all started for Mason 10 years ago when the Louisburg Aquatic Center was being constructed. Mason’s mother, Paula, called Jana Ferris, who started the Barracuda swim program, and signed her son up at the tender age of six.
However, watching Mason’s first week of practice, Paula was beginning to wonder if she had made a mistake.
“The first week he swam it was horrifying for me because I wasn’t sure what I got my son into because he stopped three times in one length,” Paula said. “Then in his first meet he made it the whole length without stopping, and I was so proud.”
It wasn’t a coincidence how Mason got started in the pool, however. Paula grew up in the pool and was a state champion diver in high school and later dove at the University of Kansas for two years and was a Big Eight champion.
Paula was hoping to pass on her love of swimming to her son, and it appears she did just that, even though the first couple of years were a little rocky at times.
“At 6 years old you never know what will come of it,” she said. “As a parent, you always think your child is going to be a prodigy or something like that, but I thought he would be a great swimmer. Ironically, it took him a couple years to do a dive off the starting block, much to my dismay.”
Mason has come a long way since his infant stage in the pool. He can do a lot more than dive off the starting block or finish races — he is winning them.
Even after a down year this season, Mason is thinking about taking another step in his swim career and swimming year-round. The problem is, he plays football and wrestles at Louisburg High School, so he might have to start narrowing his scope if he wants to find time for the pool.
“I am kind of interested to see how he would do if he decides to swim year-round,” Paula said. “The only swimmers that push him are the ones that swim year-round and the older kids in the 15 and over group. That is a big age group, and he swims with the big boys.”
Paula has also noticed a big improvement with Mason in second-year head coach Kyle Farrington. Farrington has helped Mason shave several seconds off his times and eventually helped him to his league title last year.
But all that success doesn’t happen if not for a lot of early mornings. During the summer, Mason reports to practice at 6:15 every morning to help with lane lines at the pool and practices until 8 with the rest of the team.
Although Mason is the only 10-year swimmer with the Barracudas, there are several that have been with the program almost as long. Anne Edmonds swam for the first nine years and became as assistant coach this past season, while Kyle Wilder also swam the first nine seasons.
It has also become a family affair for the Whaley’s. Mason’s sister, Lexie, has swam for seven years now and is making her name known in the 11-12 year old division.
Even with all the trophies sitting in his room, Mason is still not satisfied. He has gotten a taste of success and has excelled at every age group, but there is one hurdle left — the tough 15-and-over group.
“It felt good to be the best in the league,” Mason said. “And I want to be again.”