“He and water are one”: A mother’s journey raising and supporting her young swim star

By any measure, the path of a young athlete is a family endeavor. In St. Maarten, few stories capture that reality more clearly than the partnership between swimmer Nigel Fontenelle and his mother, Agnetha Huijting. She is the planner, the ride, the fundraiser, the sideline presence, the archivist with race videos on her phone, and the steady voice reminding a driven teenager that sport and school can reinforce each other. Her account offers a window into how talent is nurtured on a small island and what it takes to keep pace with regional and global standards.

𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬, 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫

For Agnetha, the signals came early, not from talent tests or stopwatch readings, but from how naturally Nigel took to the sea and to instruction. “My son started swimming with Teacher Frankie Swimming School at the age of 6, as before he was basically on the beach almost every weekend with me. He never had any water fright.

“Normally kids start swimming in the shallow section of the pool to get accustomed to the water, etc. However, with Nigel, after two weeks of swimming class, twice, he was sent to the deep end of the pool. Nigel really learned it fast, and also because he loved it, it was like he and water are one. He was then asked to join the swim team, where he started to compete with the Shark Swim Team with Coach Nicole Maccow. In the competitions, he won most of them, mostly first or second place, together with another swimmer from the French side, as they were always competing.”

That progression, from beach weekends to the deep end in a matter of sessions, set the tone. It was not only aptitude, it was joy, and the invitation to join a club program gave structure to what his mother already suspected.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠

Behind every practice slot and travel roster is a parent doing the math on time and money. Agnetha is direct about the tradeoffs. “I do a lot to make my children happy, as there is not much free time, but I choose this. Financially it has sometimes been a strain as well, and it goes to them first, then for myself instead. But as parents, that is the sacrifice we make in the end.”

There is no drama in the way she says it, only a matter-of-fact understanding that opportunity costs are real. The investment is not only financial. It is also emotional energy and presence, showing up again and again.

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞

Swimming tests the individual, yet seasons are built around squads. Agnetha is intentional about reinforcing both sides. “Swimming is a one-man sport, however you are still in a team, so they do have to cheer each other on, and share knowledge, tips, etc.” That balance, striving for personal bests while learning to lift a lane mate’s performance, shapes how she talks to her son about ambition and community.

Ask a sports parent about meet day and you will likely hear about nerves. Agnetha does not pretend otherwise. “Yes, I probably feel more nervous than him, boys are very competitive, and once they lose, they will not be happy and crying moments will occur, which is the last thing you want as a parent, your child to be sad after working, racing so hard for it. My routine once he is in the pool during competition, I am always there, I have never missed a single one.”

Presence is part of the pact. She does not shout instructions. She records, observes, and stores material for calm debriefs after the noise subsides.

Every journey gathers anchor moments. For Agnetha, one stands above the rest.

“His first world championship in Budapest, December 2024, where he finished first in his heat, with a new Personal Best and National Record. TV images and everything, his name was mentioned by the commentator, Nigel Fontelle from Sint Maarten, and they cannot pronounce it, lol.” The detail is telling. It is not only the time on the board, it is also the surreal recognition of hearing your small island named on a global broadcast, mispronunciation and all.

𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞

Performance curves are not straight lines. The work of a sports parent is often about tone, tempo, and timing.

“This has been my hardest part as a parent, pushing too much they will reject, so it is always about finding the right balance. Trying to explain what he will achieve at the end is probably my most repeated message. Nigel also explained many times that he wants to do well at school, as he feels good by receiving good grades. Plus, next to that, he is still a teenager, where he should also be meeting with friends and doing nice things such as movies. When results do not go as planned, we review how the race went, I always record his races, so he can look back. Because screaming from the sideline does not help, as he does not hear me, everything is completely blocked out, and he is focused then.”

It is a simple, durable framework. Aim high, debrief constructively, protect school, and leave room for friends and movies. Respect the athlete’s focus in the arena. Do the actual coaching later, with video and time to think. But Agnetha widens the lens beyond one prodigy. Her household is all-in on youth sport.

“My other son as well is a young athlete in football, at the age of now 14, he is a national player for U17 and U15. Boys their age need to keep themselves busy in sports, this is not the same world as when we as parents grew up. A lot now is internet, TV, etc. Parents need to stay involved with their kids in everything they do, life is so short, a few more years and they will go live on their own.

“My kids can always say when they get older and look back, my mother was there for me all the time. I watch all their games, races, competitions.” There is a philosophy embedded here. Engagement crowds out aimlessness. Attention is love. Time is the scarce resource.

𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧

The pathway of a young athlete can eventually loop back into service. Agnetha lights up at that idea. “I would feel very accomplished, content, it is always great to share your knowledge with others.”

Her advice is grounded in the realities of island life and the limits many families face. “As for the parents, I know sometimes it is hard, living in SXM is financially challenging for many. But trust me, some organizations will understand, but involvement and encouraging your kids is very important, you only live once, be there for them now before it is too late and they have grown up.”

Elite development requires lanes, meets, and money. Agnetha is candid about the structural barriers and what would make a difference.

“Government definitely needs to step up for these young athletes and support them financially, it is not only about taking a picture with them at the end when they return from a competition. With the exceptio of the World Championships, they rarely support us with a single cent for him to travel anywhere or to get their parents to travel with their children. The government needs to invest in a 50m lane pool, not only for our local swimmers, but do you know how many competitions you, as a country, can host, and how much sport tourism you will benefit from? Those events, like at least 10 to 15 countries participate times 20 to 30 swimmers or more each time, plus family and friends.

“Right now, at this stage, locally if Nigel swims in a competition it is against the clock, no one will be swimming next to him, there is no competitive level anymore. Nigel needs to travel abroad to attend their competitions to beat his PB times, NR's, and he has to swim in 50 m lane pools as they are on a higher level such as CARIFTA, OECS, WCS, and you have the PANAM Games. Organizations the same way, they need to assist with funding on this, get sponsorships, it has been many times I had to do this myself and use my savings. Support can go a long way. For the last championship that Nigel attended for CARIFTA in Trinidad and prior tournaments, I wanted to thank all the businesses and individuals that have supported him, because if it was not for them, he would not have been able to attend there.”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬

Take the pieces together and a clear picture forms. A little boy without water fright, fast-tracked to the deep end after two weeks. A club coach, Nicole Maccow, and a Shark Swim Team environment where winning became normal and rivalry sharpened the edge. A first world championship heat in Budapest with a national record and a television commentator stumbling over a name from an island that keeps producing competitors. A home where school reports and race videos share the kitchen table, where another son wears his country’s colors in football at U15 and U17, and where a mother keeps one eye on the clock and the other on the horizon.

Above all, there is a steady message. Show up. Cheer. Record the tape. Review the details. Protect the joy. Ask institutions to match the commitment that families already make. In Agnetha’s words, the formula is not complicated, it is simply lived, every day.

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