The boys swim team started their season with a win on Dec. 4. However, due to the team’s size, winning the meets is not the end goal.
“We won our home meet against Two Rivers/Roncalli, and their team is the same size as ours. The goal is for each swimmer to improve on their own individual times along with competing,” swim Coach Amy Slonecker said.
For those who have been on the team for years, the challenge of taking down that time can become much more difficult.
“Some people are cutting 20 seconds, and after 18 seasons, you’re cutting a millisecond off each time you swim,” Co-captain Blake Mertens said.
When swimmers have to take down the time in seconds, it becomes all about the little things.
“During practice, I just have to keep repeating what I’ve been doing. Just, thinking of little details that I can get better on,” Co-captain Garrett Lundt said.
From those who have been on the team for multiple seasons to those who are experiencing it for the first time, competing can bring pressure to all athletes.
“It’s pressure, a lot of work, it’s tiring, we all feel it,” Lundt said.
That pressure, though, can be eased by the assistance of those who will push them to go further than they thought they could before.
“I swam with a guy from Green Lake, his name is Eric Ullman. As a senior, he always wanted me to beat him. He was fast, and always wanted me to be in his lane, always wanting me to compete faster,” Mertens said.
Practices are not just held in the water though. They spend a part of that time in the weight room as well.
“Two days a week, we go to the weightroom. They either run and do cardio or they lift; the other day we come in, each swimmer has their own workout designed for what strokes they’re swimming and what their goal is,” Slonecker said.
Many of the athletes have learned that joining the swim team has helped them to see exactly what they are capable of.
“I would say try it because you’ll find out how good you actually are. I’ve seen a lot of kids: Toby Miller, for example, who’s on our team right now, he will be breaking some records on our record board. He has only swam since high school started,” Mertens said. Their next swim meet is Jan. 6 at Plymouth.
