Annie's Song: Making Sweet Music In the Local Swim Pools

When Annie Goessling was just three years old, her parents Alisa and John of Ladue got her into the swimming pool at St. Louis Country Club. For heavens sake, they didn’t want any of their children drowing. Swim lessons were a must for all three Goessling children.

There’s no way they could have known how little Annie would take to water like a fish to the sea. Annie wanted to learn a variety of strokes, and race and be the first to the finish line every time.

Often she was. Her high school career is now in the books. She is good enough to be recognized by her peers as a great swimmer, and good enough to earn a partial swim scholarship to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

A swimmer who has dominated the local pools the last two winters, Annie Goessling is a unanimous choice for the Ladue-Frontenac Patch Female Athlete of the Winter.

The choice was easy

She will leave a legacy at MICDS that consists of 14 state medals (three first place finishes), three school records, two MVP awards, and two of the highest placed team finishes at the state championships in school history.   

The lanky tall and slim swimmer thrives off competition. At the starting blocks, she’s a race horse, biting the bit.

She was the main reason Kristen Kaiser’s swimmers finished third in team competition with 160 points, the highest finish of any St. Louis-area team.

Kaiser might write a book about her accomplishments some day. “When she was eight years old, I first saw her compete and I thought she could become a great one. Little did I know I would be coaching her some day.”

There’s just something magic between Goessling and Kaiser. Kaiser has to squeeze between her parents to be her best fan.

“It is impossible to put into words all that Annie brought to this team.  For four years, she has been a presence in our program that has been defined by so much more than just her swimming.

Most people around the St. Louis swimming scene know her name, what she swims, and that she is fast.  However, few people are lucky enough to see what I see everyday.  

Annie is mature in her approach to swimming and to life. I have come to more then respect her resilience.  I admire the way Annie overcomes the obstacles thrown in her path. She attacks stress, injuries, and sometimes exhaustion by keeping her smile, staying cheerful, and finding ways to keep her head up.

You want to be better when you are around Annie.  She refuses to get down regardless of what she is going through, and that has been one of the wonderful ways she has led our program. The world would be a better place if there were more people and kids with Annie's attitude and outlook.

The points that she has put on the board for our team over the last four years were impressive to say the least, but the lives that she touched in doing so, are what make Annie such a special young lady,” said Kaiser.

Goessling has been a scholastic All-American the last two years with a 3.85 grade point average. She will go to college to study either biomedical engineering or photography. She loves both career paths.

Her accomplshments in the Missouri swim pools was unparalled:

• On the championship 200 medley relay her sophomore year

• champion of the 200 individual medley last year

• this year’s 200 yard breaststroke champion

“I love to swim. I’ve never really had a bad day. Certainly, after all these years, I’ve never felt burned out from being in the pool,” she said.

Is she thinking about the Olympics? Not really. But if she is, Rio in 2016 would be in her sights.

“When I’m on the starting blocks, all I think about is hearing that signal to go. When I’m in  the pool, I do hear people’s voices. I really get excited when I’m leading my races. That’s where I like to be.”

Goessling has a few other diversions. She likes to pal around with other swimmers. “We bond together through this sport.”  She enjoys baby sitting children in the neighborhood and likes to bead bracelets.

Still, this likeable, personable talented swimmer takes all of this in stride. In the pool she’s a champ, but out of the pool, she’s even a better person. Everyone who is close to Annie Goessling clearly knows that.