The Wave Breaststroke: Tips from a Master The Wave Breaststroke ...

She’s Just That Good!
Caroline Krattli, 41, currently holds 12 world records and is ranked among the top 10 all-time
Masters swimmers for her age group in every stroke. She’s more than just the best in the world—
she’s redefining what is possible in her sport.
By Tate Hurvitz
It’s November. The weather—even in
Southern California—has changed. The
UC San Diego swimmers file out of the
locker rooms at 5:57 a.m., side by side
with the Masters swimmers who share
the pool with them on weekday mornings.
In the early-morning winter light,
swimmers look the same. They all come
out huddled, their arms crossed over
their chests, shoulders hunched forward,
with a high-stepped scurry across the
cold deck. Masters swimmers pass for
college athletes, and 19-year-old kids
move just like middle-aged accountants.
Usually, though, they look less alike
when they get in the water. Usually.
At UCSD, one of its fastest, most technically-refined
swimmers gets in on the
Masters’ side of the pool, not with the
collegiate team.
It’s been a few years now since Caroline
Krattli finished college, but her 1:04
in the 100 yard breaststroke would still
make her the fastest woman on most
NCAA Division II or III college teams. In
fact, in 2002—the year that Caroline
swam that time—a 1:04 in the 100
breast would have placed fourth at the
NCAA Division II Championships and
first at the DIIIs.
But she wasn’t there that year—she
was 40 years old!
Forty was a good age for Caroline. In
March 2002 at the FINA World Championships
in New Zealand, she won five
gold medals, setting world records in the
50-100-200 meter breast and 200 IM for
women 40-44. She also just missed setting
a fifth WR in the 50 back.
She was reaping the benefits of a new
stroke—the “wave” breaststroke, which
she began to learn in 2000. It had taken
18 SWIM — JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 GET YOUR FEET WET AT WWW.SWIMINFO.COM
Photo by Michael Aron