The girls swim team hit the water this season with a win at Conference Relays on September 17. Additionally, the team has participated in Dual meets, Tri meets, and Invite meets throughout the season.
“Dual meets are just against one other team and Tri meets are against two other teams,” said Ellena Mulvey, senior and Team Captain. “Invites are more competitive and fun because you get to compete against harder schools.”
As team captain, Mulvey is the main communicator between the athletes and coaches. She also focuses on organizing team bonding events and maintaining a good dynamic within the team.
“It is really nice being able to get to know other swimmers and be that person to welcome new swimmers onto the team,” Mulvey said.
This year the team has a coach returning from an extended break, Rob McCabe, and a new Assistant Coach, Alaina Vollmer. With this new leadership, the team has had to adjust to the different communication style, new workouts, and new priorities.
“[McCabe] really focuses on goal setting and has been pretty active in some of our outside-of-practice stuff,” said Chloe Deblois, junior. “He also tends to focus a lot more on hydration, nutrition, and smaller aspects of racing.”
A lot of effort went into the preparation for Conference Relays. It took a lot of teamwork and practices to get the team ready, but soon enough their hard work paid off.
“Right before the last event, we were really close to being tied with some other teams,” said Vollmer. “So I said, ‘Okay guys, this is our last shot, we cannot afford a single mess up,’ and they brought it home and we won.”
While it is a significant victory, Conference Relays is a more laid back meet, including the usual events along with fun ones like the 200 backstroke relay and the crescendo relay.
“Swimming can be a really competitive sport and [Conference Relays] really brings out the fun part of swimming,” Mulvey said. “It’s always one of the most fun meets during the year and it’s just a good time to bond with teammates as well.”
There’s a lot that goes into the team besides just swimming. Sustaining a friendly and supportive dynamic between teammates is important to the swim team; encouraging others by cheering them on is a big part of that.
“Seeing your teammates at the end of the lane just makes you feel good, and makes you work harder,” said Vollmer.
The swim team had afternoon practices in the summer everyday of the week except for Sunday, with morning practices on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This consistent practice helped them prepare for the season, but it also helps with preparation for going into school.
“You just really learn from everyone and I think that really helps to make friends from different age groups and different social circles so you get a lot of interaction,” Deblois said. “It definitely helped me as a freshman going into high school.”
Swimming is a sport that requires your whole body and mind to be ready and alert during races and practices, which can pose some challenges.
“It’s a lot of thinking and mental focus, not just focusing on what you’re swimming,” said Vollmer. “It’s technique focus, it’s focusing on the time on the board, it’s focusing on underwater breath count.”