Gliding into the season
Swim team grows in numbers, climbs up ranks
While the swim team starts off the season with low scores, the swimmers still have the potential to become stronger as the season progresses. The team is doing well considering the new students who still have to learn new techniques, such as cutaways.
“A very large majority of our team is comprised of students who have never been on the swim team or any swim team at all, which sets us apart from the other teams,” head coach Craig Harris said.
Both the boys’ and girls’ team won against Newman Smith and Ranchview on Thursday, Sept. 27 but lost to Marcus and Hebron on Tuesday, Oct. 9, leaving both teams tied 2-2. The girls’ team placed 13th and the boys’ team placed 17th at the Arlington Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 13, however, the teammates believe they will become stronger after each meet.
“I think the team’s going to do really good,” junior Emma Arthurs said. “I think [we’ve shown] a lot of improvement from the beginning of the year to now just because we have a lot of younger kids on our team and they’re working really hard to get better.”
The swimmers struggle with mental blocks while in the heat of the moment at a meet. They can forget all they have been practicing when it is their time to shine because of all the eyes on them.
“[Struggles are] different for everyone,” Arthurs said. “You really have to focus on what your weaknesses and strengths are. You need to make sure you’re swimming with a purpose to get better.”
Senior Ivana Danes is considered the team mom by her teammates because she aides them in any way possible. Because the team consists of new students, she believes the team will toughen after a few years of practice.
“I think we’re doing pretty good,” Danes said. “Our JV team hasn’t done swim before so they need a couple years, but I feel like, by the time they’re juniors, they’ll be better than me.”
The new students are learning fast but they still have more room to grow before the end of the season.
“We’re already starting to see the effect of those kids coming in the door this year better than when they walked out the door at the end of the school year last year,” Harris said. “They’re a lot of fun kids and people who really want to do more [for the team].”
