Ramil Lorenzo Gonzalez
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It seems the pools are going to be more crowded this year thanks to the recent influx of new students joining the MHS Swim Team, almost doubling the number of swimmers from last season.
“At the swim meet we were all shocked to see how (many) people came,” remarked Swim Team Manager Junior Kelsi Choquette, “We lost a lot of people but we gained probably twice as many as we lost, so we actually have to cut people this year.”
According to Head Coach Dustin Fukuda, the number of swimmers jumped from a little under 30 last year to a little over 40 this season. Fortunately, a larger team has its advantages. “It’s always good to have a big team … we have a lot of new swimmers that are keen to work hard,” said Fukuda, continuing, “There (are) some good leaders on this team, so their training environment’s pretty good.” Returning swimmer Senior John McGuire, who has been with the swim team since his freshman year, agreed, saying,”More people means you score more points; that’s just how it is.” The two did acknowledge its minor disadvantages, from less space in the lanes to having more names to remember, though Choquette did say she finds it more difficult being the one to break the news to the swimmers that didn’t make the team.
The new swimmers seem to be joining for a variety of reasons, from wanting to just try the sport out to aiming to improve their skills in other sports, as with Sophomore Marlene McGowen. “I joined the swim team to do water polo because my coach told me that I was slow,” she said. Things have not been so easy for newcomers, however. “It’s been really hard; we have to do a lot,” McGowen continued, “Everyone’s really good … so it’s really hard to catch up.”
The new swimmers have been using help from the coaches and the support of returning swimmers to become more proficient in the sport, and many say that they do see a marked improvement. “The people who’ve been coming every day have been improving, and they’ve been committed, so that’s a good thing,” expressed McGuire. McGowen has also seen progress in herself despite the challenges she faced as a newcomer. “I think my first time for (the 50-meter) was in the 50s (seconds); now it’s like 40, 41,” she said.
The swim team and its new members hope to continue this trend of improvement when the season begins in January.
