Olympian inspires teen to swim lake

Local News

Related Photos

Abby Lacates, 14, dries off with a towel Sunday after completing a 9-mile swim across Otsego Lake. She accomplished her goal in 3:51. Contributed
On Friday, Aug. 3, after training on Lake Otsego all summer, Anna Kramer, 19, jumped off the dock at Springfield Center Landing and swam south to Cooperstown's Lakefront dock, 7.5 miles, breaking the four hour mark, in a time of 3:54. She is shown in the photo, smiling after her finish on Lakefront dock.

Discussion

COMMENTING ON STORIES:

Welcome to our story comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including the unpopular ones. We only ask that you keep your conversations clean, civil and on the topic of the story you are commenting on.

Coinciding with our websites redesign, we launched our new story comments feature through Disqus.

Disqus gives users the ability to log into our story comments feature so that they may be able to track their conversations, receive emails when their comments get a reply or to even have your comments update onto your Facebook or Twitter accounts.

For the time being, our story comments feature will continue to have the ability to post comments anonymously. We reserve the right to require registration in the future using your name and verified email address.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified at the newspaper’s discretion for a number of different reasons. Please follow our Online Rules of Conduct at all times.

RULES OF CONDUCT:

We reserve the right to remove comments that are unacceptable, to wit:

1. False and inacurate statements.
2. Personal attacks. Explicit name-calling.
3. Harassing, harmful, vulgar, obscene and defamatory language.
4. Threatening statements or statements that suggest violence.
5. Hate speech of any kind.
6. Intolerant comments on religion, race, age, gender, sexual preference or disabilities.
7. Accusations of criminal activity.
8. Content that is harmful to children and minors in any way.
9. References to any type of sexual activity and other private matters.
10. Random and inflammatory statements that are off topic.
11. Advertising of any kind.
12. Typing in all caps.

WE ENCOURAGE REASONABLE AND COURTEOUS COMMENTS THAT:

1. Create conversation on issues of interest and concern to fellow readers and local community members.
2. Express opinions and contrarian views.
3. Stimulate debate with respectful language.
4. Stay within the boundaries of these rules.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SUSPEND OR TERMINATE ACCESS FOR:

1. Violating any of these Online Rules of Conduct.
2. Deliberately disrupting discussions with repetitive messages, meaningless messages or spam.
3. Misrepresentation of identity or impersonating another user.

WE WELCOME:

1. Flagging violations of these rules that you observe to our attention.

MONITORING:

We monitor comments regularly Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Approval of comments outside of this time will be sporadic.

comments powered by Disqus

August 9, 2012

Olympian inspires teen to swim lake

Charlie M. Holmes THE COOPERSTOWN CRIER The Cooperstown Crier Thu Aug 09, 2012, 10:34 PM EDT

It is not uncommon for young swimmers to try to accomplish the feat of swimming the length of Otsego Lake.

However, one local teen found herself wanting to attempt the challenge after getting Olympic fever. Abby LeCates, 14, said it was something on her summer to-do-list, but it was an article about Cooperstown native Sarah Groff that gave her the extra push.

Groff placed fourth in the women’s triathlon on Saturday in London. The tri-athlete attended Cooperstown Central School through her sophomore year, and as a high school student ran cross country, track and swam. LeCates does not swim for CCS, but is following in Groff’s footsteps.

The teen has been swimming competitively since she was 6 and is a member of the Clinton Cudas team out of Hamilton College in Clinton.

“Swimming is my true passion, but this summer I have been taking up running,” she said. “I have been running four miles every day and am thinking about going out for the cross country team at school this fall.”

LaCates, who will be a freshman at CCS, found out Groff swam the length of the lake at age 14 and asked herself why she couldn’t do the same thing, said her mother, Debbie.

“We as parents (who were competitive swimmers through college) are really proud of her,” Debbie said. “She is a really determined individual. I don’t think she had a specific time in mind, her focus was on completion.”

Debbie said her daughter was able to complete the nine-mile swim in 3 hours and 51 minutes.

“She never touched a canoe or kayak. She wanted to make sure it was a true swim,” Debbie said.

According to Debbie, she, her husband, Bill, and their 12-year-old daughter, Grace, went out on the lake in a canoe and kayak to help motivate and be there for the young swimmer.

“We kept giving her Gatorade chewies to keep her going,” Debbie said. It was a fun family experience.”

LaCates accomplished her goal Sunday, having to swim through rough waters and battling through waves, according to Debbie.

“It was impressive to watch because we realized as adults, who got in the lake and swam a few miles, how hard it truly was,” she said. “She just kept calm and went at a steady pace.”

Besides training for competitive swimming, LaCates said she swam to Kingfisher Tower a couple of times the day before attempting the entire length of the lake.

“I thought to myself, ‘this is not too bad,” she recalled Monday afternoon after returning home from a run.

LaCates admits she did not know what to expect before attempting the swim

“It was pretty long,” she said. “I just kept a steady pace the whole time. It was all about finishing.”

“I still cannot believe I actually swam the lake,” she continued.

Debbie, who helps coach her daughter’s team, said her two younger children also swim.

“Grace is looking toward next year to do it,” she said. “She is not quite ready yet. She did swim a couple miles this time with her sister. By next summer she should be ready.”