Blais sisters make a watery trail

(Photo: The Blais sisters, from left, Felicia, 14, Kaitlyn, 8, and Nicole, 13, all competed for the Panama City Swim Team in a meet at the Gulf Coast pool Saturday. News Herald Photos: Dana Miserez.) Buy Photo

RYAN BASEN
The News Herald

Pierre and Darlene Blais of Lynn Haven have three daughters with distinct personalities. But 14-year-old Felicia, 13-year-old Nicole and 8-year-old Kaitlyn do have at least one common interest: All three are advanced swimmers, as they displayed Saturday in the Panama City Swim Team Invitational at the Gulf Coast Community College pool.

Nicole and Kaitlyn were the top swimmers in their respective age groups as the Panama City Swim team (PCST) built a commanding 406.5-point lead (684.5-278) after one day of the six-team competition. The second half of the invitational, featuring 64 more events, begins today at 8:30 a.m. at the Gulf Coast pool.

PCST swimmers captured 39 of the 63 individual events on Saturday and hold the individual lead in nine of the 10 age groups. In the morning session, Mosley High junior Katherine Schnell won four individual events in the girls senior group (ages 15-and-up), while Greg Greer (13-14 boys) and Paul Erben (senior boys) each captured three. Nicole Blais won four events in the 13-14 girls.

In the afternoon session, Kaitlyn Blais won all five individual events she competed in the 8-and-under group, while Richard Greer (11-12 boys) and Christopher Duncan (9-10 boys) also won five events. Jessica Chandlee (11-12 girls) and Phillip Hendricks (8-and-under boys) each won four.

PCST coach Carl Kleinschmidt attributed his team's success to a number of factors, including the team's chemistry.

"All these kids are like a big clique," Kleinschmidt said of his team, a group of about 60 kids ranging in age from seven to 17. "They all have the same interest in swimming and that brings them together."

Having talented siblings like the Blais, who moved to Lynn Haven two years ago, has helped. PCST practices six days each week after school. Without their sisters around, none of the Blais sisters would likely be able to meet that dedication.

Felicia began taking swim lessons at age 4 in North Bay, Ontario and Nicole soon followed. After the family moved to San Antonio, Kaitlyn also began swimming. Because Pierre is a navigator in the Canadian Air Force, the family soon moved to Toronto and then Greenwood, Nova Scotia. By the time they arrived in Lynn Haven, both Felicia and Nicole were ahead of their age group in swimming and school.

Felicia, a sophomore in the International Baccalaureate program at Rutherford High, and Nicole, an eighth grader at St. John's Catholic School, are both are straight-A students. Along with Kaitlyn, they are also honor roll swimmers for PCST. That is where the traits of the sisters diverge. Felicia said she swims for fun now. Nicole takes the sport more seriously.

(Photo: Kaitlyn Blais, 8, shows more promise at an early age than did her older sisters.) Buy Photo

"(Nicole) is very focused," Felicia said. "You can't talk to her before events. She has more of a killer instinct than I do. She can't stand losing."

"I get a lot more upset when I don't do well," said Nicole, who turned 13 on Saturday.

Darlene Blais believes her daughters' competitive nature drew each of them to swimming.

"It's to a point where they don't know any different," Darlene said. "Kaitlyn sat at the pool for so long that she just figured this is what she's supposed to do."

Nicole agreed.

"Felicia was doing well so I thought, I want to do something like that," Nicole said. "Kaitlyn looks up to us. She did practically the same thing I did with Felicia. Now she hates to lose like me."

Both older sisters believe Kaitlyn has the potential to be the best swimmer of the three, adding that Kaitlyn is already the best all-around athlete. She is ahead of the curve that her sisters set for her in swimming, and is so far advanced for age that she swam with much older kids for a while.

"She is so small but powerful," Felicia said. "It's really cute to watch. We motivate her. She wants to do better than her older sisters."

Regardless of how she fares today, Kaitlyn will be swimming in the 8-and-under national meet in Pensacola beginning Saturday. Nicole and Felicia will swim in the regional meet in Nashville from March 7-10 at the 13-14 age group. Several other PCST swimmers will join them there.

Today, though, PCST swimmers will try to match or improve on Saturday's successful competition.

"These kids are strong and they train to be able to do two-days," Kleinschmidt said. "I expect them to be just as strong (today)."