Caroline Entsminger of Wake is training almost daily in the pool at the Northern Neck Family YMCA in Kilmarnock in preparation to compete in this month’s US Paralympics in Cincinnati.
Entsminger was born with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), which is a rare genetic condition that affects many different areas of the body, reported YMCA board member John Norton. OI mainly impacts the body’s bones, collagen production, muscle tone/strength and respiratory system. There is a range of severity with OI from mild to severe impacts on a person’s life.
Entsminger started swimming with the Deltaville swim team in summer 2022 using a kickboard. She took to the water like a duck and by that fall she was a valuable member of the Northern Neck Pirates swim team, he said. She’s been swimming year round since.
In fall 2024, Entsminger joined the Virginia Peninsula YMCA USA team in addition to the Pirates team. In January 2025, she set a goal to participate in Paralympics competitive swimming.
In the Baltimore Para Classic in March, Entsminger placed first in the 25 butterfly, second in the 100 back, fourth in the 50 back, seventh in the 100 free, and 10th in the 50 free. Overall, she finished 10th in the meet, among 41 female swimmers.
She also met a Paralympic swimmer Colleen Young, who competed in Paris last summer, and she caught the attention of her swim idol, McKenzie Coan, who like Entsminger has OI.
She will attend her first US Paralympic sanctioned meet in Cincinnati May 10-11.
Everyone who knows Entsminger is confident that this is just the beginning of her remarkable and inspiring swimming journey, said Norton.
