A Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School swimmer is making waves and breaking records for the Island’s high school swim program.
Senior swim team captain Kaua De Assis broke the high school’s 50-yard freestyle in a meet at home against Barnstable, St. John Paul, and Cape Cod Academy on Dec. 19.
De Assis swam the 50-yard freestyle race in 23.16 seconds, breaking the record set two seasons ago by Christian Flanders at 23.46. De Assis’ historic record time also qualified him for the Massachusetts state championship meet in the postseason.
“I feel accomplished and proud. I only started swimming four years ago and I was always inspired by the idea of being as good as the older kids. And now that I’m here it feels good to be where I want to be,” said De Assis.
Despite placing second in the race to a strong Barnstable swimmer at the December meet, Vineyard swim team head coach Jennifer Passafiume said having a strong swimmer ahead of Kaua likely pushed him to break the record.
“When I got on the block, I got really nervous,” De Assis said about his experience leading up to the record-setting race. “I always get nervous on the block, but I have this ritual where I stretch and put one leg on the block and say a quick prayer, and when I get up and dive in and hit the water everything else goes away. There’s no distractions, it’s just me and the water.”
De Assis’s competitive swimming journey started just four years ago during his freshman year in high school. Despite being a rookie to the sport, he found himself swimming in the postseason as a substitute in a state meet. In his sophomore season, he qualified for states in the relay.
“He is really coachable,” said Passafiume. “He tries really hard and he swims on his own if he can’t come to practice. He is always super dedicated and a good role model as well — an all-around positive force in the community.”
Kaua said he found his passion for swimming when he would spend time at the YMCA’s swimming pool, where he now teaches swimming.
“I went into the lap lane to swim one lap and a friend of mine said, ‘Wow you’re pretty good at this.’ And I tried it out and I just loved it – it clicked for me,” De Assis said. “This is my main sport now.”
The next step for De Assis, he says, is to break his own record, this time going for a sub-23-second run. He also wants to go for the 100-yard freestyle time, and do really well in the state meets.
He also gives credit to his teammates for pushing him.
“The whole team has been encouraging,” De Assis said. “When I first started, I didn’t really know anyone other than last year’s captain. After a couple weeks, it felt like a family and we are all a family. We try to support each other and cheer each other on on the sidelines during races.”
De Assis said he is applying to colleges, and that he would really like to continue swimming at Bridgewater State University.
For now, he’s proud to represent his heritage.
“I’m Brazilian and I’m a part of the Brazilian community here on Island and I’m happy to represent the Brazilian community as a high school swimmer.”
