Swimming Sibling Rivalry

Christina and Alexandra Scharmer bring a new twist sibling rivalries.The sisters are on rival swim teams. The younger Alexandra is a sophomore on Cedar Rapids Kennedy's squad and Christina is a senior for Cedar Rapids Washington. Christina, who attended Franklin Junior High, chose to open-enroll transfer to Washington after her sophomore year.The two teams battled Tuesday at Kennedy with the Cougars coming out on top 110-76. The Scharmers exchanged some good-nature debate about which team was better before the meet, but left each other out.“We're usually not competing directly against each other,” Christina Scharmer said. “The team rivalry is a lot more intense than the individual rivalry.“We're always comparing our teams rather than comparing ourselves,”They are each other's biggest cheerleaders, even in the heat of competition. The pre-meet discussion gave way to support.“We're pretty competitive when we talk about it,” Alexandra Scharmer said. “(Tuesday) we were both cheering for each other.”It went beyond just cheering. The pair decided to switch team swim caps. Alexandra held Christina's numbered cards, signaling remaining laps, while she swam the 500 free.They had to clear it with a meet official, who said he couldn't think of a rule against it. It was a special moment.“You usually choose a supporter,” Christina Scharmer said. “She's one of my biggest supporters.”Christina was fourth in the 500 free (6:09.41), adding a third-place in the 200 free Tuesday night.Alexandra had a little more success with runner-up finishes in the 100 fly (1:02.47) and 100 back (1:04.58), contributing to two relay wins.They were pitted against each other in 400 free relay pitted, swimming in adjoining lanes.Christina swam the first leg for the Warriors, while Alexandra raced third for the Cougars. It an exciting finish Kennedy (3:56.78) edged Washington (3:57.00) by .22 seconds.“I'm not going to pretend like it's not tough,” Christina Scharmer said. “It's really hard, because you want your team to win but you also want your sister to do well.”Their specialties lie in different events. Christina swims the breaststroke and distance as Alexandra competes in the 100 back and fly. It's hard to compare or determine the better swimmer.“I don't know,” said Alexandra, who got the nod from her older sister. “We're both good at different things.”