The Shrewsbury YMCA pool smells strongly of chlorine with voices echoing off the walls. A whistle blows, and three students gracefully dive into the pool, barely making a splash. The vibrant blue pool reflects off of the white walls, and thousands of tiny white bubbles dance on top of the water from a student practicing their strokes.
Pre-season swim is not required for those looking to participate in the regular season, but the extra practice here makes a big difference in the improvement of swimmers.
Sophomore swimmer Kato Nguyen is preparing for the start of the season by taking the pre-season very seriously.
“For me, pre-season is very important because sometimes my swimming schedule often is very erratic because I play other sports,” Nguyen said. “So during pre-season, I really have to lock in, so I can get ready for the regular season because I lose a lot of progress off season.”
The swim team faced some obstacles during the preseason, but that did not stop them. The YMCA’s pool heater broke in the middle of the practice timeline, so the team had to relocate.
“We had to have practice at the Hanover Y…it did affect us because some people weren’t able to go and it was far away, but we’re just grateful we had a pool to swim at,” Nguyen said.
The Susquehannock swim team worked hard and performed well last season. At the PIAA 2A State Championships, the women placed 104 out of 134, and the men placed 62 out of 134.
Freshman swimmer Erin Walker is new to the swim team and is excited for a new challenge this season.
“I know a lot of people who are doing [swim], and I’ve done basketball,” Walker said. “I think it might be good for me to make a change, and I think the whole entire team dynamic, the fact that it’s boys and girls, I really like that.”
Physics teacher and head swim coach Brian Wingert is ready for the season to start and has one main goal already set for the team.
“I want to see kids up, cheering for each other, supporting each other in good races and in bad races and everybody just sort of being there for the team instead of doing their own thing,” Wingert said.
The swim team goes against various schools, but to Wingert, their biggest opponent is themselves.
“We are our biggest competition because it’s a mentally tough sport, and kids have to realize that they’re in competition with their own times from previous meets and that’s what they’re really racing against,” Wingert said.
As the team gears up for their upcoming duel meet at home against South Western on Nov. 27, they look to see their hard work and dedication pay off.
