How They Train: The Sets Of Sierra Marlins Brady Calkins and Erica Jaffe
As have so many other high schoolers, two Sierra Marlins swimmers have used their USA Swimming training to excel on the age group and scholastic stages. Brady Calkins and Erica Jaffe, high school Class of 2025, are both ranked fifth in California (66th and 44th nationally) by collegeswimming.com (Swimcloud). Each excelled at the 2022 CIF (California) state meet in May with swims that propelled their teams to top-15 finishes.
Calkins, a backstroker and sprint freestyle specialist, was the leadoff swimmer on both the Jesuit Marauders’ fifth-place 200 medley (23.93/1:32.26) and 16th-place 400 free relays (46.38/3:08.59), times that earned him two NISCA relay All-America honors (41st and 79th, respectively). His USA Swimming showings have earned him short course Futures cuts in the 100 and 200 freestyles (46.38, 1:40.03) and AAAA times in the 100/200 back (50.16, 49.73) and 200 fly (1:56.58). He is also quad-A long course in the 200 back (2:08.49) and the 200 IM (2:12.17).
Jaffe’s résumé is even weightier. She was integral to her Saint Francis (Sacramento) High School’s tie for eighth at the CIF state meet. Individually, she finished 10th in the 100 back (55.05) and ninth in the 200 IM (2:02.37). She was the leadoff swimmer (52.06) on the sixth-place 400 free relay. All in all, Jaffe earned four NISCA A-A rankings for the year: in the 100 back (54.65/48th), 200 IM (77th), 200 free (1:35.81/64th) and 400 free relays (3:26.26/37th). Her USA times have earned her a bundle of Winter Junior, Futures and quad-A qualification times, but her top events are the 100 back (1:03.36, LC Winter Open) and the 200 back (2:14.89, LC Summer Nationals).
“Brady and Erica are the epitome of committed athletes,” says their coach, Tim McCormick. “That commitment and discipline is what sets them apart and adds immense value to our culture.
“On deck and in the pool, there are tons of personality similarities. At a young age, both knew what they needed to do regarding learning and progressing toward their goals. Outside the pool, Brady is more outgoing, while Erica is softer spoken, yet fun and strong.
“Both embrace difficult sets with a ferocity to achieve new bests. Such desire really helps our program charge forward. They are positive and charismatic, while being respectful and polite. The good news is they still know how to have fun and mess around here and there.
“They are also very smart when it comes to breaking down splits, stroke, kick and breath counts while absorbing details. Better yet, they are extremely coachable, eager to try new things and helpful in providing feedback from sets they enjoyed—or didn’t. They also ask a lot of questions, work hard and embrace difficult sets. Those qualities make me smile and further fuel my commitment to them and the sport.”
“Their kind nature and positive attitude really resonates with their teammates. They feel challenged by their work ethic and consistency in and out of the pool. Whether it’s going out of their way to congratulate a teammate, or to toss some encouraging words across the lanes to a friend or teammate, these two bring an energy that is contagious.”
How They Train
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