Wave Ryders swim well at state meet

The Wave Ryders swim coach has a new look — a very aerodynamic one.

Deidre Loyda kept good on a bet to shave her head if team member Jordan Loyda, 14, could win seven gold medals out of seven events at the state swim meet in Bozeman last week.

It seemed like a fairly safe wager at the time.

"I thought somewhere along the way, someone would beat him," Loyda said. "But that didn't happen."

Jordan pulled out a squeaker in the 1-mile race — an event he was a bit of an underdog in, according to Loyda — and never looked back.

Jordan wasn't the only Wave Ryder standout at the meet.

Joseph Potkonjak, 10, dominated his events to rack up seven gold medals of his own, Jessica Loyda took home two silver medals and Emily Sullivan scored a silver in the breast stroke.

In fact, every member of the team ended up with a medal and the tiny swim team from the Flathead finished seventh overall in points. Quite the feat considering they were swimming against teams with up to 50 members.

"As a coach, I was unbelievably proud of how the kids did," Loyda said. "We talked at the beginning of the season about what type of goals we wanted, and the kids really exceeded it. They met and went beyond what they were looking for."

Loyda said the team worked hard all season long to prepare for the event, sometimes training up to 20 hours a week.

According to Loyda, the team doesn't swim in August, but Potkonjak will be training for the Western Zones swim meet in Hawaii. Because of his accomplishment this season, he will be a part of the Montana team and compete against teams representing 14 states across the West.