Olympic greatness all from a Catholic High School in Bethesda, Maryland

 

Catholic high school alums make swimming history at Olympics

Maureen Boyle/OSV News | 08.06.2024

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The Olympian alumnae trio from a Catholic high school in suburban Washington achieved greatness and made history during their swimming events at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

They have inspired hope, pride and joy not only for their alma mater — Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Maryland — but also for fans of the school’s Gators throughout the Archdiocese of Washington and beyond.

During the July 27-Aug. 4 swimming events, the hometown athletes — Katie Ledecky, Phoebe Bacon and Erin Gemmell — swam in several electrifying races, with Ledecky winning her 14th Olympic medal and adding two more top medals to her record-setting collection of nine golds; Gemmell earning a silver medal in a 4×200-meter freestyle relay; and a strong fourth-place finish for Bacon, narrowly missing a bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke by .04 seconds.

Ledecky swimming in her fourth consecutive Olympics won a total of four medals in seven days: gold in her signature races — the women’s 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle events; a silver in the 4×200-meter relay alongside teammate Gemmell; and a bronze in the 400-meter women’s freestyle race. Following these wins in Paris, Ledecky became the most decorated U.S. female Olympian in history.

Head of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart travels to Paris

“Katie, Phoebe and Erin are a great source of pride for the Stone Ridge community,” wrote Catherine Ronan Karrels, the head of Stone Ridge School, who traveled to Paris to cheer on her former students and represent their school at the Games.

“It is an honor and a great joy to be part of the community here to support them,” Karrels said in an email interview with the Catholic Standard, Washington’s archdiocesan newspaper.

For their races, Karrels was in the viewing stands of the swimming stadium — the Paris La Defense Arena. She wrote that it was a thrill of a lifetime and such fun to witness in person the Gator Olympians swim at the highest level.

“I love seeing Katie, Phoebe and Erin swim, because I also know how passionate they are for the sport and for the community that they have built for themselves,” Karrels said. “It is incredibly inspirational to see these three alumnae competing on the world stage. It takes such hard work, dedication, persistence and consistency to compete at their level. It also requires uncommon grace under pressure, focus and resolve.”

Prayers for athletes

Karrels was able to give Ledecky a quick congratulatory hug after her 800-meter gold medal ceremony Aug. 3. Ledecky is the first female Olympian to win the same event four times in a row.

Ahead of the games, Karrels visited St. Francis Xavier Church which houses a reliquary for the Society of the Sacred Heart foundress, St. Madeline Sophie Barat, and Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, where she prayed for the athletes. Stone Ridge School is sponsored by the Religious of the Sacred Heart.

“I was able to light candles for Katie, Phoebe and Erin individually, as well as all Sacred Heart Olympians and the broader Sacred Heart community,” she said.

Fans turned out in full force to cheer on Bacon, Gremmell and Ledecky

On July 25, more than 600 enthusiastic Stone Ridge Gator fans of all ages — many wearing specially-designed Bacon/Gemmell/Ledecky Team USA Olympic T-shirts showing a figure swimming beneath the Eiffel Tower — turned out in full force to the Bethesda campus of the all-girls k-12 Catholic school.

Stone Ridge sold more than 2,000 T-shirts prior to the Olympics and the alumnae athletes’ family and friends in attendance could be seen wearing them in the Paris swimming venue stands during their races.

Congratulatory messages from all over the world filled Stone Ridge’s social media pages during the week of amazing swim races.

Closer to home, Kate Rodgers of Silver Spring, Maryland, posted on the school’s Facebook page, “While having the swims of lifetime, they have brought so much joy, love and excitement to our community. I am so proud to know and cheer on these fellow Stone Ridge girls!” Another supporter wrote, “Such grace in those girls from His Heart.”

“The Catholic Schools Office is excited to cheer on our incredible #ADWcommUNITY Olympic alumnae athletes: Katie Ledecky ’15, Phoebe Bacon ’20 and Erin Gemmell ’23!” was posted on the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and the ADW Catholic Schools Facebook pages last week.

15% of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Swimming Team composed of Stone Ridge Gators

While it is not uncommon for swimmers from the same college to be named to an Olympic team together, it is nearly unprecedented for three athletes who attended the same high school to do so. Only 20 women were named to the 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Swimming Team.

With Stone Ridge alumnae earning three of those spots, 15% of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Swimming Team was composed of Stone Ridge Gators. After this week, the Stone Ridge Olympians tallied up more medals than some entire countries participating in the Summer Games.

Bob Walker, Stone Ridge swim and dive coach, who coached all three Gator alumnae during their high school years, said the school’s Olympic trio is one of the great stories of the 2024 Summer Games.

“Erin’s first, Phoebe’s second, and Katie’s fourth Olympics never gets old! I know they will take one day at a time or even one year at a time after the games are over, and hopefully we will see Erin’s second, Phoebe’s third and Katie’s fifth…and maybe with the special water we must have in the Stone Ridge pool, another athlete or two arrive on the Olympic stage!”

Ledecky hopes to compete in the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028

Ledecky, 27, a captain of the Team USA swim team, posted on her Instagram page that when she earned the gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle race Aug. 3, it was 12 years to the day from when she won her first gold medal in that event during the London 2012 games as a 15-year-old rising Stone Ridge sophomore. “Got the job done for the 4-peat,” she wrote.

Ledecky, who currently holds the women’s 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle world records, thanked all those who supported her Olympic journey — her coaches, teammates, family, friends and sponsors. “It’s not always going to feel pretty or 100% perfect, but if I have learned anything this Olympic cycle, it’s that the results can still feel rewarding with the right attitude, effort and focus… and especially when supported by great people.”

Looking ahead to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, Ledecky told NBC’s “Today Show” Aug. 5 that she definitely hopes to race again at the next Olympics. “I’m going to take it year by year, but it would be a dream to compete in front of a home crowd,” she said.

The strong Catholic faith of U.S. Olympic gold-medalist swimmer, Katie Ledecky

 

‘Strong faith and humility’ mark swimmer Katie Ledecky’s life, her former principal says

Katie Ledecky visits students at Stone Ridge of the Sacred Heart School following the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic games | Credit: Stone Ridge of the Sacred Heart School

By Gigi Duncan

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 23, 2024 / 06:00 am

Katie Ledecky, an Olympic athlete considered to be one of the best female swimmers of all time, often speaks about her faith and experiences of attending Catholic schools.

After winning her first Olympic gold medal in 2012 at age 15, Ledecky has gone on to become one of the best female swimmers of all time. With 10 Olympic medals and 21 world championship titles under her belt, Ledecky is poised to be one of the top competitors in the Paris Olympics later this month.

While her swimming feats have brought Ledecky accolades worldwide, those who knew the Maryland native in her youth while she attended Catholic schools describe her as being a bright, kind, and faithful student.

“She’s not only a wonderful athlete, but she is also a role model that you would want a young, Catholic woman to be,” Sister Rosemaron Rynn shared with CNA. “She’s grown into this wonderful person because of her great parents, her family life, and also the fact that she keeps herself close to God.”

Sister Rosemaron, who served as Ledecky’s principal at the Little Flower School in Bethesda, Maryland, said Ledecky attended the school from pre-K to eighth grade. “Her mom was a part of the Mystical Rose Society that takes care of the altar and other things in the church,” she added.

“Katie used to help her mom now and then with that, and I know from reading stories about her that she continues to say that her faith is very important,” Sister Rosemaron continued. “She has said that she prays before each event, and I believe that the Lord has really blessed her.”

In a 2016 interview with the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, Ledecky shared that she often prays a Hail Mary before each of her races, stating: “More than anything, praying just helps me to concentrate and let go of things that don’t matter in that moment. It gives me peace knowing I’m in good hands.”

“I think our devotion to Mary is very beautiful,” Ledecky said. “She has a sacred role in Catholicism, and her strong faith and humility are things we can learn from.”

Humility is another attribute that Sister Rosemaron credits Ledecky as having, telling CNA that “[Katie] never touted the fact that she was that good. In fact, it blew our minds when we found out that she was going toward the Olympics.”

“She’d come in during the morning before school started, her hair all wet because she had been out swimming before school,” she said. “But she never bragged about anything, ever. She was truly humble.”

Upon entering Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart for high school in 2011, Ledecky continued to remain “extremely grounded” and “humbly gracious” amid her rise to fame, according to Stone Ridge Principal Catherine Karrels.

“On our swim team, there were students of all levels. We had Katie who was an Olympian and students who were just learning how to make their way across the pool,” Karrels told CNA. “One of the things I admired about Katie was that she was so inclusive and celebratory for the other kids and all that they were able to accomplish.”

In addition to being a member of the Stone Ridge swim team and setting numerous records, Ledecky also participated in many of the school’s service opportunities. She volunteered as a teacher’s aide in her former elementary school, served meals to homeless people at the Shepherd’s Table soup kitchen, and helped lead Stone Ridge’s campus ministry program among others.

“Katie really cares deeply about other people and is very focused on community and family. I think a lot of that comes from her faith in that she sees the dignity in everyone around her,” Karrels said. “All of these things fit in with a faith life that is grounded in strong values that come from her family and that were also expressed in her education here at Stone Ridge.”

Ledecky has kept her Catholic formation and roots close to her, often making stops to see both the Little Flower School and Stone Ridge following her Olympic feats and accomplishments. As Sister Rosemaron recounted, Katie would visit her and the other sisters, “bringing her medals, letting us each wear one to take pictures with her.”

Karrels echoed this, sharing with CNA that Ledecky has done “a great job in keeping in touch with us, frequently coming back to campus when she’s in town.”

“She will often come and talk to our student body and engage with the kids. Usually when she does that, she wants it to be very informal,” Karrels continued. “She likes to come back and check in with her teachers and coaches, roam the halls, and see how everyone’s doing. I think she also knows how much we like for the young girls to be able to see and get to know her because she’s such an inspiration and a great role model for them in so many different ways.”

Set to compete in the upcoming Olympic games’ 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1500-meter freestyle events — two of which she currently holds the record for — the 27-year-old Ledecky is favored to win the gold for several of these events.

Sister Rosemaron and her fellow sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary plan to watch Ledecky and cheer her on, and the priests and congregation at the Church of the Little Flower expressed their prayers and well wishes for the athlete as she competes in Paris.

Stone Ridge will be hosting an Olympic Pep Rally on July 25, where more than 500 are expected to celebrate not just Ledecky but the school’s other two alumni competing for Team USA in swimming — Phoebe Bacon and Erin Gemmell.

Karrels, who will be traveling to Paris in order to cheer on her former students and report back to the Stone Ridge community, shared that “it’s astounding to have such high representation from our alumni.

“I am thrilled to be going to watch Katie, Phoebe, and Erin compete,” she stated. “Hopefully when they get back from the games, we’ll be able to find a time for them to come to campus and tell their stories to our students, and to celebrate again all that they’ve accomplished and all the lessons they learned.”

The very public Catholic witness of Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky

 

In race for another gold, Ledecky relies on grace of God

"The Hail Mary is a beautiful prayer and I find that it calms me..."

Agold in the 1,500-meter freestyle at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo cemented Katie Ledecky’s status at the “Michael Jordan” of swimming. At 24, she set a new Olympic record in the event’s inaugural Olympic race.

Despite some faltering in Tokyo, several of Ledecky’s Olympic and world records still stand. She also picked up a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle. Her career is what most swimmers only dream of doing.

Her success is inspiring and many wonder how she is able to remain at such a high level of athletic perfection while the world watches. The pressure at the Olympic games is enormous and few can ever understand what the experience might be like.

What is Ledecky’s secret to success? How does she remain calm and collected, knowing that everyone expects her to break another record?

In a 2016 interview with the Catholic Standard she revealed, “I do say a prayer – or two – before any race. The Hail Mary is a beautiful prayer and I find that it calms me.”

Ledecky was born and raised Catholic, attending Catholic schools all the way through high school. Her parents were supportive at an early age of her passion for swimming, encouraging her at the age of six to “just try to make it across the entire length of the pool without stopping.” It was her older brother who inspired Ledecky to start swimming, even though she wasn’t very good at it at the time.

Along with her strong family life, Ledecky credits her education for providing many life lessons that have given her the balance she needed to be successful in the pool. In fact, after winning gold in London, Ledecky went first to visit the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters in Maryland to thank them for all their support throughout the years. In 2016, she planned to do the same. This did not surprise the sisters at all, for they recognized her strong Catholic faith during her time at school.  

Referring to her Catholic education, Ledecky highlighted how it made a huge impact on her swimming career.

“Going to these schools was important to my swimming – my Catholic schools challenged me, they broadened my perspective and they allowed me to use my mind in ways that take me beyond just thinking about swim practices, swim meets and sports.

“Going to these schools also allowed me to make wonderful friends. Friends, teachers and administrators from my schools have all helped me meet my goals in swimming, and in life generally, by being supportive and caring. The importance of balance in one’s life is a lesson I have learned, and one that I hope will help me in   college and beyond.”

In addition to thanking her Catholic schools for the support and encouragement they gave, Ledecky has also helped her local Catholic community in different ways. In 2015, she helped promote the “Walk with Francis” pledge that was organized by the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. in preparation for the visit of Pope Francis to the United States. In her promotional material, she explains how loving God is not abstract but concrete. and then pledges to support charitable organizations such as Catholic Charities, Shepherd’s Table, and Bikes for the World.

Ledecky continues to defend ready to defend her Olympic title in the 800-meter freestyle on Thursday, and hopes to dominate the pool again.

When she does, she will be relying not only on her hours and hours of practice, but also on the grace of God. Ledecky knows that with God “all things are possible” and that he will give her strength and peace when she needs it the most.