Abby Warmbrand lifts Dakota Riptide in building friendships and swimming success
Feb. 28—MITCHELL — Every afternoon on a practice day, Abby Warmbrand makes the hour-long drive from her hometown of Pukwana to the Mitchell Recreation Center. It's one of her few chances to work on her swimming techniques in the pool before meet day.
She's made the most of her opportunities this season.
Warmbrand has been one of the top swimmers for the Dakota Riptide in the girls 15-17 age group. In three meets this season, she's collected five event victories while placing in the top-five on 16 other occasions. Out of her event victories, two have come in both the butterfly and the individual medley, while the other was in the breaststroke.
As the swimming season features long, grueling days at or around the pool, Warmbrand, even during off days, always keeps herself positive, choosing to focus on how she can get better rather than complain.
"If you look at a set at the beginning of practice and are like, 'this is going to suck,' then it probably will," Warmbrand explained. "But if you're looking at as you're going to get better from this, then it will be way easier to get through.
"I try to have a positive mindset the whole time," she added. "Even little things like finishing a set, you can be proud that you accomplished that set and you can know that you'll improve for sure."
Swimming has been the way of life for Warmbrand and her siblings ever since they were kids.
Originally from West Virginia, Warmbrand began swimming competitively in the summer over a decade ago before she and her family relocated to Custer, South Dakota the following year. Going to swim meets and watching her older siblings Daniel and Hannah compete, Warmbrand immediately wanted to join the fun. (Her older sister, Hannah, now swims at the University of Sioux Falls.)
"I saw how much fun they enjoyed swimming," Warmbrand said. "I knew that if I wanted to have fun in a sport, then it was definitely something I could do and they could teach me how to do it better."
Alongside her siblings, Warmbrand joined the Rapid City Racers following the family's move to Custer, swimming for four years with the team. Upon moving east, she joined the Riptide, where she began to elevate her swimming skills and refine her strokes. Rising up the leaderboard caught the eyes of more experienced swimmers.
"I remember her beating me in kick sets when she was 10 years old," Riptide head coach Christian Fossum said, who was a swimmer at the University of South Dakota at the time. "She was a good improver in the water and was keeping up with kids who were twice her age."
After becoming the head coach of the Riptide, Fossum noted how Warmbrand's positivity resonated with him and the rest of team, regardless of the situation or the difficulty of the day's practice. Becoming a leader by example with her attitude, she also shows exceptional commitment to each day in the pool, knowing the effort she partakes to make it to practice.
"It just shows her commitment to improve (at swimming) that she's willing to drive two hours round trip," Fossum said. "It takes a pretty special athlete to commit themselves to all that road time three, four, or five times a week."
The Riptide has also been more than providing a sport for Warmbrand to participate in. Outside of attending band class at Chamberlain High School, she's been homeschooled throughout her life, so being a part of the swim team has allowed her to meet other kids and form relationships with them.
Forming bonds with her teammates through those long days at the pool has helped Warmbrand grow as a person, while also feeling that the team is more than kids competing for hardware. It also motivates her to continue improving for competitions and being a leader on the Riptide.
"I'm not going to work as hard with anyone else than when I work hard with these people," Warmbrand said. "Being on a team helped me to be able to meet more people ... and now we're almost more as a family than a team because of how close we are every day."
The goal for Warmbrand and the Riptide at the upcoming state championship meet beginning on Thursday, Feb. 29, is to improve on their times this season. However, everyone on the team also wants to enjoy the experience.
"I definitely want to improve on some of my times," Warmbrand said, "Apart from times, I want to have fun, and that's the whole point. Even if I don't get good times, I hope that I'm happy with the way that I swim my races."
"We're just hoping that we have a lot of fun at state," Fossum said. "I want us to go out, have fun, and do our best. If we're able to do all those things, then the best times will come."
In many ways, swimming is a way of life for Abby Warmbrand, from when she first attended a swim meet to watch her siblings to now being a top performer for the Riptide. It also taught her a valuable lesson when some days get tough.
"I think swimming can show you how hard life can be," Warmbrand said. "Practices can be really tough. Having that mental power helps you get through the practices and still try your hardest, even though it's easy to stop.
"It teaches you to be able to get through life the same way."
