Samantha Hedrick and Isaak Webb of the Pella’s USA Swimming team are currently competing at the 14 & Under Central Zone Championships – being held in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. The competition pits the fourteen-year-old swimmers against the best the midwest has to offer, and is a significant step up on the USA Swimming hierarchy from last weekend’s State Championships.

Pella coach Jennie Hedrick says she got her first experience coaching at the Central Zone meet a year ago and and says her swimmers’ top performances at the state level won’t necessarily translate to easy success this weekend.

“Last year was our first experience with Zones, and it was kind of a last minute thing. Samantha qualified for the 50 [Meter] Freestyle last minute – and ended up on the Freestyle Relay too – so we went to Indiana to swim for Zones last year,” said Hedrick. “Zones is a lot different. Isaak and Samantha are going to have to try their hardest and have their best times to make it to finals at Zones – and that would be pushing it. It’s just so much higher of a [level of] competition. Maybe finishing second [at State] is going to be at Zones finishing 38th – so it’s a lot more competition.”

Samantha Hedrick is competing in three events, while Isaak Webb is entered in five. The USA Swimming Central Zone Championships will continue through Sunday.

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