Whiz Kid: Claudia Thamm

Name: Claudia Thamm

Age: 9

School:

Nominated by: Fourth-grade teacher Shirley Bergman

Accomplishment: Set three Bux-Mont Swim League records and received five awards for swimming excellence at last Saturday's Bux-Mont Swimming and Diving "A"Championships at La Salle University.

The top 18 swimmers in the league descended upon La Salle University for the swimming and diving championships.

Claudia, of the Hatfield Swim Team, won five honors in the 8-and-under division: First place in the medley relay, second place in the breaststroke (new record of 18.18; old record was 20.23), third place in the freestyle relay (new record of 13.78; old record was 14.37), fourth place in the butterfly (new record of 15.09; old record was 15.99) and seventh place in the individual medley.

Key to Awesomeness: "I get really pumped up before a meet," said Claudia."I jump up and down and get rallied up."

She also knows the meaning of "teamwork," as the confidence she exudes rubs off on her teammates.

"In the medley relay, there's one girl on my team who thinks she can't win and that she's not good in relay. She's actually very good and a really amazing swimmer. I tell her that and that she can do it," Claudia said.

Claudia spends most of her life in the water. Most weekends, she competes in an invitational, and her practices are every day of the week except Wednesdays. She said the winter season starts in September, and the summer season starts in June.

"I thought swimming would be a fun thing. In my first year, I was really good," she said. "It's the only sport I do. I really like it because a lot of my friends are in swimming. I met three of my best friends in swimming."

Swimming may be Claudia's only sport — but it's not her only extracurricular activity. This girl stays busy.

At Oak Park, she is part of the literary magazine team. She plays the flute, and she is in the bell choir and sings at Trinity Lutheran Church. Claudia is also a Girl Scout with Troop 71037.

"And I have three sisters," she said. "My mom had all girls."

Is your child a Whiz Kid, or do you know a young person in the community that should be recognized for their talent, brains, volunteer work or accomplishments? Nominate them to be featured in this column by sending an e-mail to Tony.DiDomizio@Patch.com.