Early in the morning, before the sun rises, the swimmers pile in the vans to go to practice at the Jewish Community Center (JCC). The swim season officially started on Nov. 13, though the swimmers have been strength training since September.
Swimming is an individual as well as a team sport. The athletes work hard throughout the season to get to state. There are 38 people on the team with 20 of them being on varsity.
“I really like how we are all close together (this year) because it is usually a small team,” sophomore Lily Matya said. “We all go in vans together and have team dinners so we can all get really close.” ​
The swim team uses four vans to get to practices. In the afternoons, the team practices at Mockingbird Pool which is around 20 minutes away from the school. The JCC is also around 20 minutes away. The varsity swim team practices in the morning twice a week and in the afternoon four times a week. The JV team practices in the morning one day a week and in the afternoon four days a week.
“Varsity and JV work on strengthening their muscles through running and lifting in the mornings,” Head Coach Mrs. Kari Meister said. “When we are in the pool, we work on drills, endurance, technique and speed to help them be able to compete at their best.”
The athletes train hard to do their best during competitions. Meets are usually on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and sometimes even Fridays. Practices consist of swimming sprints and also swimming distance. At the swimming meets, the contestants are not allowed to use anything besides their suits, swimming caps and goggles. At meets, the swimsuits have to match.
“The number of swimmers coming out this year is the most we have ever had,” Coach Meister said. “I am looking forward to seeing them compete and hopefully make it to state.”
The team has made it to state for the last four years and hope to compete again this season. The team has started practicing very hard so it is a big possibility that they can make it to state.