After the girls have arrived together,  the team sits around in a circle. Anticipation courses through their veins as they wait for the coming competition. They gather together in the weight room of the natatorium. Junior Jaahnavi Narne looks around at her team, smiling as each person shares which events they’re competing in and what they’re most excited for at the meet. 

While they wait for their competitions together, they rely on each other to calm down before it’s their turn to take the board, hoping to celebrate with one another when the team achieves the goal they have worked for.

The swim team has been working to place well at the district meet on Jan. 26 and move onto regionals. Swim Coach Andrew Stewart has been happy with the swimmers’ results so far this season. 

“The season has been going well,” Stewart said. “The team is working hard, and I’ve seen a lot of improvement out of the swimmers, as well as the divers.”

Narne agrees that the team’s work ethic is paying off with excellent results. 

“We’ve basically gotten first in all the races we have done for our girls 400 medley relay,” Narne said. “I would say it’s going pretty good, because everyone is beating their old times.” 

Stewart gives his athletes vigorous workouts as they strive to achieve their goal—beating other teams at districts.

 “We train every day at 6 a.m. for an hour and 45 minutes,” Stewart said.  This includes endurance, sprinting, and focusing on various components of racing. The divers practice for two hours during fourth period and after school, which entails a lot of physical effort and mental strength.” 

Stewart emphasized the importance of the team’s reliance on one another and their resilience to push through adversity. 

“Training and competing in swimming are very demanding physically and mentally,” Stewart said.  “Having said that, I think the best areas are the way they support each other in practice and meets, and the way they grind through practices day after day.”

The team’s connection is a big part of the routine before their meets. They prepare for their competition together, especially by talking with one another. 

“I know the girls, we all carpool and go from the school to the meets together,” Narne said. “We often separate into our girl’s and boy’s teams. Then we like to go into our weight room at the natatorium, and we all like to talk about what events we are doing. We all go in a circle and share what we are excited about.”

The team mainly trains at the Bruce Eubanks Natatorium, switching around every month to other facilities. It is one of the few off-campus sports. As a result, the team is not recognized as often as sports like football or volleyball. 

“I don’t think they are as known as other teams because it never takes place at the school,” sophomore Carissa Junk said. “And [they] aren’t showcased as much as the other main sports. Also, not as many people are involved in it.”

Despite the lack of recognition from the student body, Stewart is proud of his team’s evolution and dedication to improve.

“I really like it when athletes improve and their effort pays off,” Stewart said. “I feel very happy for them when that happens. I also love seeing athletes push their boundaries and accomplish things that they didn’t know they could accomplish, whether it’s achieving in a meet or hammering through a hard set in practice.” 

Making it past district is a strenuous task because only the top six of each event gets to move on to regionals. 

“The athletes are aware that we’re in a tough district, and they know what it’ll take to advance to the regional meet, so they keep that in mind, as well,” Stewart said.