Cordes

After years of watching their siblings swim to records, the youngest Cordes sisters, Kendall and Kelly, are ready to make a name for themselves. Together they’ve learned to prioritize their time, because if they don’t, as their mother says, “They’ll drown”.

Senior Kendall and sophomore Kelly have had the experience of being able to support each other in and out of the pool ever since they started swimming.

“Since 1997, somebody’s been going to swim practices,” mother Leslie Cordes said.

Their oldest sibling, Colin, was the first Cordes to start swimming in 1997.  In his career at South, he won State in both the 100 backstroke and 200 freestyle, a pedigree that allowed him to swim collegiately at Princeton University.

“When I was younger, I would always come to my brother’s practices and see him working in the pool,” Kelly said. “I would always be like, ‘Oh wow! That seems like so much fun!’ So, that made me start swimming.”

Though they participate in different events, the sisters look to each other for inspiration.

“We’re really competitive with each other, but we also push each other as hard as we can,” Kendall said. “We’re not afraid to really tell each other to go faster or pick it up.”

Last year, Kelly qualified for the IHSA state meet while Kendall did not. Kendall still cheered on her younger sister, however, which really impressed their mother.

“[Even though] she couldn’t be there herself, [Kendall] was so excited to be there for Kelly,” Leslie said.

According to head coach Kelly Timson, the sisters have a relationship that allows them to use each other as rivals to motivate themselves to do better.

“They can get on each other’s nerves a little bit, but it’s a friendly rivalry most of the time,” Timson said. “I definitely see them getting more excited for each other’s successes than the average person.. They understand how to work hard and have good, fit family values.”

The sisters expressed that they work hard and that even though they sometimes dislike waking up for early morning practices, it’s rewarding in the end. They have their swimmer siblings and each other to motivate themselves to do their best every day.

Wells

For sisters Niki and Katie Wells, swimming is not just a sport. It is a way for them to connect to each other and become closer.

Niki and Katie swim on the women’s swim team together and are coached by Kelly Timson. However, their swimming careers began at different times.

“I started swimming when I was 10,” Niki said. “[Katie] joined a year after me. We’ve been on the same team for six years.”

Niki started swimming after encouragement from her parents.

“My mom found an ad in the paper for the swim team, and she asked me if I wanted to do it, and I said sure because I liked swimming,” Niki said. “I liked going fast. So I did [swimming], and Katie followed.”

Due to their similar facial features, many people mix up the sisters, especially when their distinguishing features are masked by their swimwear.

“We get called each other’s names a lot,” Niki said. “You put caps and goggles on and it’s hard to tell people apart.”

According to Niki, even though their facial features are similar, their personalities separate and make them both unique.

“People who have known us for years are like, ‘I don’t even know how people mix you up, you’re totally different’,” Niki said.

According to Timson, Niki’s more serious while Katie is much more outgoing.

“It’s interesting to have two girls that live in the same house [and] sleep in the same room, but have such different personalities,” Timson said.

According to Katie, when it comes down to it, nothing gets in the way of the sisters’ relationship, and they remain each other’s biggest fans.

“There’s nothing that I like more than seeing Niki succeed,” Katie said. “It makes me feel good, and I know it makes her feel good. There’s no one I want to [win] more than my sister because she’s always there [for me].”