When Kaitlyn Firestine arrived at Hamilton West, adapting to the rigors of everyday high school life was just one of her learning experiences. She also decided to try two sports that she had never done competitively in her life.
Flash forward to her senior year, and it seems Firestine made the right decision.
She just completed her third season as a stellar varsity performer on the field hockey team, and her senior season of swimming got underway impressively as she recorded three first-place finishes and one second in a dual meet win over Nottingham, and one first, two seconds and a third in a loss to Steinert.
“I played soccer for a decent portion of my life, but in high school I didn’t see myself playing soccer anymore,” Firestine said. “I wanted to try something new and I ended up really liking it.”
As for swimming, she followed in the footsteps of big sister Alyssa, who graduated the year before Kaitlyn arrived. Alyssa was a top swimmer for the Hornets who also played soccer at West and for Mercer County Community College.
“My sister swam and told me I should try it; that it’s a family environment, it’s fun, everyone gets along,” Firestine said. “It kind of pushed me to try it out and see if I would like it. I ended up liking it a lot and it became a motivation to push myself to do better every day.”
As it turned out, Alyssa is now her coach for a second straight year as a Hornet assistant.
“I actually coached Alyssa too; so it’s pretty cool to be coaching with her older sister,” head coach Jessica Kontorowicz said. “They actually swim pretty similarly; they have such a beautiful stroke. Kaitlyn always maintains her composure. She has speed, she’s always doing the right thing. She’s our senior captain. She’s really quiet but leads by example as our strongest girls’ swimmer.”
Alyssa admitted she never thought she would be coaching her sister, and said, “It’s definitely interesting. I give her a lot more tips in and out of practice. She works hard. She doesn’t get too upset over losses. She really stands out for the team and makes a big impression on everyone.”
As for the Firestine parents, Alyssa said, “they think it’s hilarious she’s following in my footsteps.”
Like most siblings, they will have their disagreements, but both say they are very limited and they get along well. Kaitlyn refers to Alyssa as “my best friend” and enjoys having her help in the pool.
“It’s actually really cool,” she said. “She knows I can do better than what I put out. She sees the potential I have. And no matter how bad I think I did, she always says ‘You did good,’ or gives me little tips telling me I could do better. She always pushes me to my full potential.”
It took a while to reach that potential, but Firestine exploded last season. Swimming predominantly the 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 200 medley relay and 400 free relay, she collected 11 first-place finishes, 11 seconds and 12 thirds while also reaching the finals of the Mercer County Tournament. Firestine considered the highlight of the season the 1:02 split time she swam in the 400 free relay at the MCTs.
This year she is looking to break her personal bests in the fly (1:40) and the free (2:31). And while those are her main events, Firestine has the versatility to swim elsewhere. Last year she won twice in the 100 free and took a third in the 500 free.
“Anything I throw her into, she’ll do,” Kontorowicz said. “If I’m running low on girls and I need someone to throw in there, she can do anything. I can put her anywhere and I know she’ll succeed.”
Firestine has built her way up to where she is now. As a freshman she swam the 50 and 100 free along with all free relays, but only had a total of 10 races that season. Still, her coach saw the potential despite the fact Firestine was not a club swimmer.
“She was pretty polished,” Kontorowicz said. “What I’ve noticed the past four years is just the way she swims and her stroke, it’s very rare to see how she swims. She’s super smooth. She’s fast, she’s always doing the right thing. Her flip turns, everything from start to finish she’s always very cool, calm and just smooth. That’s the best way to describe her.”
As a sophomore, Firestine mainly did the 100 and 200 free, with the other freestyles and a backstroke sprinkled in. Last season, she found her niche in fly and 200 free.
“Our coach pushed us to do a lot of butterfly (in practice) my freshman year,” Firestine said. “We did a lot of core work and that helps over time doing the butterfly. My junior year I started doing it as a race. They kind of just put me in the 200 free. From doing the 500 free it was an easier transition to the 200 and it kind of became a habit.”
A winning habit, as Firestine had 11 top-three finishes in the 200, including four firsts.
Kontorowicz hopes for more of the same this season.
“I’m looking for her to hit first or near first,” the coach said. “Even the harder schools we swim against, like Princeton or one of those schools, she keeps up with them. We’ll have her do the fly or freestyle in the medley relay and I usually put her at anchor in the 400 relay because she’s pretty quick.”
Firestine is a rarity in that she is a solid swimmer without a club background.
“I swam in my grandparents’ pool but never swam competitively,” she said. “I didn’t learn the strokes until my freshman year and I picked up on it really easily. As a freshman I had an injury but my lane was very willing to help me with each stroke. They helped out and explained things. I had a lot of mentors who pushed me to my full potential in swimming.”
It’s now time for Firestine to set the example. Although she has a quiet demeanor, her actions speak volumes.
“She leads by example,” Kontorowicz said. “She’s the first one in the pool, she’s always doing the right thing. She’s not very loud but when she needs to be she’ll stand up and be heard. She’s a really good role model for the younger kids that come in. A lot of times we put her in the other lanes with them. We have her show different strokes and she’s always demonstrating when needed. She’s super helpful.”
Firestine gives of herself to others while also dealing with a busy schedule. She is outstanding in the classroom and works at MCCC as a lifeguard and at Halo Pub selling ice cream. Her role as a leader is tested by the fact Hamilton must practice and swim meets at Steinert, which is not the best way to develop a close-knit group.
“It’s hard not having our own pool,” Kontorowicz said. “She balances work and school and she just has a lot going on. But she’s someone who never misses practice. She’s here every day. It’s hard to find swimmers at Hamilton West that can hang with club swimmers on other teams, so she does that and it’s impressive.”
What’s also impressive is her future goals, as Firestine will attend Marywood University in Scranton, Pa. to study architecture.
“My dad is really big on building his own stuff, he went to school for architecture,” Firestine said. “I’ve always liked the layout of the houses and how they get built and everything.”
That’s only natural, considering she built a whole new athletic career for herself upon arriving at West.
Kaitlyn Firestine is a senior captain for Hamilton Hornets’ swimming. (Photo by Rich Fisher.),
