HRA Swimmer to Compete in Brazil

Nicole Piercy of Hampton Roads Academy and the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins swim club was recently selected to represent the United States at the 12^th Pan-American Maccabi Games, which will begin on December 26th in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Nicole Piercy (L) with Coast Guard Blue Dolphin teammate Leigh-Ann Clark

The Maccabi Games is an international competition for Jewish athletes and 13 countries will be represented. The purpose of the meet, as stated in the motto, is “Building Jewish Pride through Sports.” Although Piercy, at 14 years of age, did not meet the minimum age requirement for athletes in the junior category, she was selected based on her best event times, which do meet the standards.

Her introduction to the meet came last year when Dolphin coaches, led by Steve Hennessy, mentioned the idea of aiming for qualification in the near future, perhaps as a motivating tool to help the swimmer reach the necessary standards. The plan worked as it took only a year to earn the right to compete at the high-level meet.

For the high school freshman, it will be her first experience of competing outside of the United States. To date, the farthest she has traveled for a meet is Rochester, NY.

Says Piercy, “It will be a weird experience being out of the country.” She does look forward to meeting new people and should have many opportunities to do so, as all of the athletes will be staying together at the same hotel for nine days. In anticipation of bartering opportunities, her mother, Wendy Drucker, has helped the teenager find plenty of Team USA materials along with other tradable knick-knacks. The hope is to come home with a treasure trove of collectibles from other countries.

For the young swimmer, her first opportunity to compete at the international level is the result of years of hard work.

Now beginning her seventh season with the Blue Dolphins, Piercy maintains a grueling training schedule. Her weekly workout regimen consists of nine practices over a six-day period (three two-a-days and Sundays off). A number of the practices occur during the wee hours of the morning before school and even after seven years, she openly admits that “getting up early never gets easier.” Like many elite swimmers, she competes for both her club team year-round and with her school team at HRA during the winter.

The hard work is paying off. On December 1^st, Piercy earned her a major victory, capturing the 14-year old girls 200-yard backstroke at the RSA Reindeer Invitational in Cary, NC.

There is a price to pay for athletic success. Connections with school friends have been lost over the years because of her sport obligations. School games and dances have been missed. Numerous weekends have been spent at swim meets, which have been known to last from early morning to late in the evening for several days in a row.

The "Fab Five" -- Jillian Breeger, Piercy, Peyton Baldwin,
Kate Maw & Katie Brewer

Not to suggest that Piercy is without friends. During an interview, a cry of “I’m her best friend!” erupted from the other side of the pool at the Ft. Eustis Aquatic center, where the Dolphins practice. Eventually, it was learned that there are other best friends; in fact, Piercy and four other teammates have formed a bond, one which has developed into a coalition known in swimming circles as the “Fab Five.” While one of the Fabs is a classmate at HRA, the other three are from Menchville and Kecoughtan.

Her friends have helped to alleviate the stress of training and school. In fact, working through such a demanding schedule has its advantages. “There’s no drama in swimming,” she says, referring to her social life with teammates outside of the pool. “Not like school drama.”

With graduation not arriving until June of 2015, it may be early to start picking colleges. But, Piercy has some ideas in mind for life after high school. She “definitely” wants to swim in college. While undecided on schools, she notes that she is a “huge Duke fan” and that she possibly wants to major in pre-med.