Goss: Rakoski family still prominent in the pool

Lee Rakoski’s daughters – Lisa, Kristen and Emily – were prominent swimmers in Joliet, most notably during their careers with the Joliet YMCA Jets.

Dad kept all his daughters’ times in his yellow book. That comes in handy now.

The numbers he recorded for Lisa, now Lisa Rakoski Battistoni, were impressive indeed. And they’re being blown out of the water by his granddaughter.

“She’s way faster than I was,” Lisa said of her daughter, Belle, who recently turned 13.

Then she smiled and explained, “Of course, the technology is a lot better now.”

I had the opportunity earlier this month to talk with Lisa and Belle when they were in Joliet visiting their family. The Battistonis live in Sammamish, a suburb of Seattle. It was fun to catch up with Lisa, to hear about the big names she has come in contact with in the swimming world, and to get to know Belle.

Remember the name Belle Battistoni, and who her mother is. If Belle continues on the path she has been following, you may be cheering her on in the Olympics some day.

Recent USA Swimming rankings of national age-group times have her No. 1 for 12-year-olds in the 100 butterfly, No. 2 in the 200 breaststroke, No. 3 in the 100 breaststroke, No. 5 in the 200 individual medley, No. 7 in the 50 breaststroke and No. 15 in the 400 I.M. Most of her times would rank among the top 13- and 14-year-olds as well.

“Belle holds Pacific Northwest swimming records for the 11-to-12 age group,” Lisa said. “She broke some records that were held by Meghan Quann Jendrick and Ariana Kukors, and both of them were in the Olympics.”

This apple has not fallen far from the tree. Swimming at Oakwood before she joined the Joliet Jets, Lisa held USA Swimming national age-group records in the 50 and 100 free in the 12-under age group.

Modern technology notwithstanding, Lisa said, “Those times rank 30-something all time, and I still have times ranked in the top 100 in the 200 free and 100 fly.”

Lisa represented Joliet West in three IHSA state meets. In 1983, as a freshman, she finished third in 100 fly. She was fourth in the 100 fly and fifth in the 200 free in 1984. She did not enter the IHSA meet as a junior, and as a senior, she was third in the 100 fly and fifth in the 200 I.M.

In college, she swam two years at Louisiana State, then transferred and finished her collegiate career with two years at Illinois, graduating in 1992.

“I made the finals of the SEC meet when I was at LSU,” she said. “At Illinois, I was third in the 100 fly in the Big Ten meet. I left LSU because our coach left and because Illinois was closer to home and a better school. I realized I wasn’t going to be a national swimmer.”

Lisa said she stayed at Mary T. Meagher’s home once while she swam in Louisville.

“I made the Sports Festival in Colorado Springs in 1983, and I hung out with Rowdy Gaines,” Lisa added. “It’s fun when I go watch Belle swim, and I see people I swam with who are big-time coaches now.”

In the small-world category, when Belle showed she was ready for a higher level of swimming, Lisa moved her to the King Aquatic Club, about 45 minutes from the Battistoni home.

The King Aquatic Club is headed by former Olympics coach Sean Hutchison. Among the coaches on staff when Lisa brought Belle there was former Joliet Township standout athlete and Jets coach Dave Kienlen, who recently retired.

When Kienlen saw Lisa there, he was surprised. Lisa said his reaction was something like: “Oh, my God, what are you doing here? Belle? She’s your daughter?”

“Steve Brown is another former Jets swimmer who is around,” Lisa said. “He’s coaching at the University of Arizona. And Dave Sims is a good friend of mine. We both swim Masters.”

Sims, a former Jets standout who graduated from Joliet Catholic, made the United States team for the 1980 Olympics, but the USA boycotted the Games. He went on to be a four-time All-American at Stanford and has been a Masters national champion.

The further Belle Battistoni takes her swimming career, the more her mom will continue running across big names in the sport – from former Olympians, to college coaches to friends from her days back home with the Joliet Jets.

“I’ve worked for Nordstrom for 23 years now, so I get a lot of vacation time,” Lisa said. “It all goes to watching swimming, and to other sports with our other kids.”

In that regard, she is busy like so many parents. She would not want it any other way.

• Dick Goss can be reached at dgoss@shawmedia.com.