The swim team is a group of student athletes. They all have stories. Why did they join? What factors contribute to the love they have for the sport?

Swim is viewed as easy to the average eye, as many people only see it as the act of propelling oneself forward within water.  Swimming uses almost every muscle in the body. The sport helps to tone, define, and strengthen those muscles that they are constantly using. But it’s not just the muscles that make it hard. It’s the exhaustion as well. Swimming, especially at long lengths, requires extraneous amounts of endurance, resulting in a great workout for the heart. It’s just a total body workout.

“Swim is not a very talked about sport at our school and we know that, but we still all love it. I wouldn’t trade it for any other sports right now,” Ben Rhine (10) said.

The athletes involved in this sport keen to concepts such as perseverance and determination, constantly attempting to become a stronger and faster swimmer

“I really enjoy swim because it’s a way to push myself,” Michael Cox (10) said. “I love pushing myself.” 

Many students on the swim team explain their love for the sport, and what it provides for them when they give it their all. They are constantly busy, together almost every day, with practices in the morning and the afternoon, and meets on the weekends.

“I joined to push myself, because I want to be a navy seal,” Rhine said. “But I stayed for the people on the team because we’re all like family now.”

Some people do choose swim to prepare themselves for the future, such as Rhine, but others do it strictly for the enjoyment they feel now.

“I like to swim because of the competitive aspect and the strong bond the team shares,” Kellyn Lansdowne (12) said. “They challenge me to do my best every day.” 

These teammates encourage each other to push harder and swim better, faster, and longer. They consider themselves to be a family that they have chosen.

This relatively small group of people, about 16 athletes on the team, are constantly together. They practice together, the length of the pool stretching for miles the more exhausted they get. They hang out together, munching on food at restaurants, watching a movie in the small showbiz theater down the road, goofing off in Walmart or in the car. They compete together, encouraging each other to each be his or her best, lifting spirits when one’s shatters or bends. They smell the same chlorine water every day, feel the same adrenaline or swimmer’s high. Experience the same exhaustion, excitement, and disappointment. They share a lot with each other.