VonBokern twins share bond over love of swimming | Information, Sports activities, Jobs

Minot High swimming and diving coach Emily Jensen stated that if one didn’t know Sam and Sophia’s final identify, they’d by no means guess the 2 have been associated. Sam – technically the older sister – is a drum main within the college band, and likewise performs the trumpet and enjoys pottery. Sophia is within the National Honor Society, is a part of scholar council, was a part of the HOSA-Future Health Professionals and used to bounce and play softball. She additionally enjoys getting out of the home as a lot as doable, hanging out with buddies and making TikTook movies.

Even their rooms’ decor share little or no commonality. Sophia’s room is filled with pink, gold and white, whereas Sam’s resembles the colours of the water she’s spent a lot time swimming in, decked out in shades of blue and inexperienced.

They could also be opposites on land, however the water is what does – and at all times has – attracted them collectively. And whereas they might have their occasional squabbles like all siblings have, they genuinely root for the success of each other and are one another’s largest fan.

“Sophia is very gracious,” Sam stated. “She understands this is something that I like and I think she is very happy for me when I win. She’s a great swimmer too and she knows it. She works hard and does everything in her power to cut time. There’s definitely things she’s a lot better at than me and we know it. We consider it an even playing field, but she’s just very respectful and gracious when I have success.”

Nathan Beitler/MDN
Twin sisters Sam VonBokern (left) and Sophia VonBokern (proper) have been swimming since they have been 4 years previous and can compete of their last WDA Championship meet this weekend in Mandan.

Sam and Sophia have at all times had a love for the water. They started swimming classes on the age of 4 below the steerage of Patrice Mitchell, a neighborhood legendary swimming teacher with greater than 50 years of expertise educating girls and boys at Jim Hill Middle School. A yr later, they have been swimming competitively and have been competing nearly yr spherical ever since.

“Before we even started swimming lessons, we were little fish in the water,” Sophia stated. “We loved the water – water parks, pools – we were very attracted to the water, so we were put into lessons and ever since then we’ve loved it. For me, I just love that there’s that team aspect of it and solo part of it. You can grow by yourself, but also there is that team aspect of it.”

Both Sam and Sophia joined the varsity workforce as seventh graders. At the time, the Minot High program was separate from the center college program and an athlete needed to be requested by the teaching workers to be moved up until they have been becoming a member of the workforce as a diver. When Sam was approached by Jensen about becoming a member of the workforce, Sophia was fascinated about exploring different avenues outdoors of swimming. Instead, she elected to affix the workforce as a diver, and although she didn’t essentially love her time competing within the occasion, seeing Sam and the remainder of the workforce working arduous making an attempt to enhance additional motivated her to stay with the game.

Fast ahead six years and each are actually senior captains about to swim of their last West Region Championship meet, set to happen over two days starting on Friday, Nov. 7, on the Mandan Aquatic Center. Friday will characteristic the diving preliminary rounds, whereas Saturday is the primary occasion, with all the person occasions and relays happening, together with the diving finals.

Sam has had the extra adorned profession throughout her time at Minot High, racking up WDA titles. Since her freshman yr, Sam is a two-time WDA champion within the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, profitable the occasions as a freshman and sophomore. She is the reigning champion within the 100 butterfly and the 200 freestyle. She has additionally been a part of championship relays within the 200 medley and 400 freestyle. The Majettes have received the WDA Championship three out of the final 4 years.

“She’s always swam with incredible confidence in herself,” Jensen stated. “Her work ethic is incredible and has been since she was very young. She’s very driven in all aspects of her life. She’s got that quiet confidence that keeps her going and her internal drive to succeed. She puts in a lot of work in the offseason. She does a lot of dry land. She does a lot of club swimming. They do a lot of traveling when high school swimming isn’t going on. She does a lot of work. She went to Bismarck this summer and trained with a Bismarck team and traveled with them. She’s been to camps in Florida.”

Sam is a four-time All-WDA and three-time all-state choice. She received the state title within the 500 freestyle as a freshman, serving to Minot High to a second-place end.

“Her freshman year, she was still a little naive to the capacity of talent she had and there’s something to be said about that,” Jensen stated. “When the pressure’s on, it is really hard to win a state title. You have to be at your best effort on that day against people who are also vying for that same goal you are. There’s something to be said about mental toughness and she’s come a long way in a year. She’s a little bit hungry for seeing that success at an event and at a state championship meet. She’s so versatile, but to get another championship would be her ultimate goal.”

Winning the state title within the 500 freestyle was considered one of Sam’s favourite recollections, however not for the explanation most individuals would assume. It wasn’t as a result of it was the day she would eternally be capable of name herself a state champion, however moderately as a result of it was Sophia that was proper there beside her counting her laps in her lane and giving her the encouragement she wanted to push by to the tip.

Sam stated her two favourite occasions to compete in are the 100 butterfly and the 100 freestyle.

When it involves the state match, Sam can have the decide of the litter when it comes to what two particular person occasions she competes in, having hit qualifying occasions for all eight of the person swimming occasions. She owns the quickest qualifying time within the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 200 IM.

“It really depends on what the team has needed in the past and where they need to put me to get our clubs a shot at winning at state,” Sam stated. “This year because I’m a senior, I kind of get to choose which of those events I get to swim more. Most seniors on the team get to choose what they would like. Obviously, we’re competing for that first spot and we don’t have as many swimmers as Century does, so there is a little persuasion from coach Jensen, but I get to choose. But I’ve told coach Jensen in the past to just put me in whatever event you need me in. If there’s something I really want to swim she’ll hear about it and there’s a good chance it will be an event that will help our team.”

Sam competed within the 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly at state final yr. She completed third within the 200 behind Fargo Shanley’s Arianna Hoff and West Fargo Sheyenne’s Lauren McDonagh, and second within the butterfly behind Williston’s Dru Zander.

Sophia could possibly be jealous of her twin sister’s accomplishments and want it was her that was standing on the rostrum yr after yr, meet after meet, however that’s not her character. It’s what makes her the proper workforce captain in Jensen’s eyes.

“She is just the epitome of what a hard-working kid would be on a team,” Jensen stated. “She’s an incredible captain. She is always thinking of others and wanting to make sure that everyone feels included and has a heart of gold. She definitely is the little heartbeat of our team. She swims incredibly lights out on relays and she doesn’t always give herself that confidence and that drive in her individual events and we all know she can do that. We’ve seen her do it time and time again on relays. She would never want to disappoint her teammates or her coaches and we look for that in all our athletes, but I hope she finds that confidence in herself that we all know she has for her individual events as well.”

Sophia loves each second she will get to spend along with her teammates, which is why considered one of her favourite moments doesn’t contain being within the pool in any respect. It was throughout her freshman yr proper earlier than state. An impending snow storm compelled the Majettes to move to Fargo two days early, so she received to spend two full days surrounded by teammates in a Fargo lodge whereas primarily residing in a snowglobe previous to the state match.

Sophia might not have the identical accomplishments with the Majettes as Sam, however that doesn’t imply that she’s simply alongside for the trip. Sophia performs a serious position on the 200 relay with Emily Dunstan, Hailee Valdez and her twin sister. Sophia serves because the second leg, whereas Sam is the anchor.

“I’m a relay swimmer for sure,” Sophia stated. “Sam loves relays too and seeing how excited she gets makes me want to work as hard as I possibly can. Everyone knows her as the person to catch all of us up if we fall behind. From my perspective, I want to go out there and stay up there with the other relays so she doesn’t have to do that and she can be a star and push way ahead. I love the fact that there is that team part where I can be with her and we can be together.”

Swimming additionally supplies Sophia an outlet for the stress that comes from being an adolescent in highschool. It permits her a pair hours on daily basis to clear her thoughts and escape the hardships, even when it’s solely momentary.

“It’s a great way for me in that if I have a bad day I can get in the pool, work hard and I’ll feel better. It’s very rewarding,” Sophia stated. “Even when your times aren’t what you want them to be at practice, I’m working as hard as I can. Swimming is so rewarding in every way possible so I feel like it is very calming.”

Sam and Sophia’s highschool swimming careers are right down to their last two weekends earlier than heading off to school, unsurprisingly taking totally different paths. Sophia plans to enroll on the University of North Dakota to grow to be a nurse. Sam isn’t executed swimming simply but. She has dedicated to Division I Nebraska-Omaha to affix its swimming and diving program within the fall.

Jensen will miss their presence not simply within the pool however on dry land as properly. To her, the VonBokern sisters have served as extra than simply athletes on her swimming and diving workforce. They have grow to be in some methods a part of her household.

“I had them when they were really little in club swimming and remember them coming on the pool deck when they were seven and eight years old,” Jensen stated. “Having them be part of a program and they teach swim lessons in the offseason and Sophia babysits for me all the time. These kids become a part of your family essentially and you hope for the best for them and ultimately you hope they stay safe and make good choices and look back on their high school years and their time with the team as memorable and important and positive and something that’s taught them more than just swimming.”