Every morning the swim team goes to practice to start their day in a freezing cold pool. The daily routine of suffering at the crack of dawn brings the team together into a family, which is exactly what the swim team is all about. At a typical swim meet, team members are cheering for the kids swimming in the pool, which may not make sense to some people because the swimmers can’t really hear the cheers themselves.
“We cheer as a team to really show the support we have for each other,” Caitlyn Boyd, senior said. “Even though the swimmers in the water can’t really hear us, because its a lot of fun and gets everybody excited for the other races.”
According to the team, one of the best parts of the swim team are the bus rides to meets. When the team is together the busses are filled with a fun atmosphere, which differs from many other sports that use the bus rides to focus. This is really great for the team, because the nerves of a big race aren’t on everyone’s mind. With the swim team, everyone is truly there to have fun and hang out with friends, with a sport they love. When asked about a favorite memory in all the four years of swimming, bus rides were always mentioned by many of the senior swimmers. A specific favorite was the “acorn combat” on one bus ride Drew McDonnell, senior explained.
“It was during the fall, so there were acorns all over the place and we ended up taking bag of them onto the bus and we started throwing them at each other. The whole bus ride there was just an exchange of acorns across the bus,” Drew McDonnell said.
Through long bus rides, early mornings, and the competitive atmosphere the swim team seniors grew together in their four years of high school. On Dec. 9, the senior swim meet took place recognizing the seniors for their accomplishment and dedication to the sport through out their four years of swimming. The seniors walked the “cat walk” or the length of the pool in this case, while information of the student was said along with personal messages for family and friends.
This senior class is quite special to Mrs. Lorenz, the assistant swim coach, because this will be the first graduating class for her.
“I’ve watched them grow up through all four years and I’ll miss watching them grow up and seeing them become great kids. They’ve grown up into great little adults and its been fun experiencing life with them.”
Congratulations to the seniors and thank you for hard work and dedication to the tough sport of swim.
