Swim team makes waves with early season victories
The Panther swim team dove into their 2015-16 season on Nov. 6 at the Columbus Blue Devil Invitational.
December 2, 2015
The Panther swim team dove into its 2015-16 season with a splash, taking first place for both the boys and girls at the Columbus Blue Devil Invitational on Nov. 6 at the Columbus Aquatic Center. With a team of 25 boys and 22 girls, the Panthers hold high expectations for the season ahead and plan to continue their streak of 15 county wins, taking first for 16 consecutive years.
Coaches Derek Abrams and Robin Huggins work together throughout the season, hammering out drills that test and build both endurance and skill of the 47 swimmers. These exercises have already been put to the test in the swimmers’ first three meets.
In addition to the Blue Devil invitational, the Panthers took first for girls and second for boys at the “Big Splash” Invitational at the Steve Lundquist Aquatic Center on Nov. 14. Three days later, the swimmers faced off with Sandy Creek and Fayette County at a dual meet in the Kedron Aquatic Center. The team refused to disappoint and pulled yet another win.
“So far, the students are doing well once they get in the water and are putting up good times for being early in the season,” Abrams said. “I can see the hard work paying off in practice with our swimmers.
On Dec. 4, the swim team will face off against McIntosh at Kedron for their fourth meet this season.
One word Abrams used to describe the team is dedication. While some students start off their mornings by splashing cold water on their faces, the swim team takes a full-body approach with practices beginning at 6 a.m on Thursdays and Fridays.
On the flip side, the swimmers attend late-night practices from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays and have dryland practice on Wednesdays. “These swimmers work hard to get faster and better in the pool,” Abrams said. “It takes a dedicated and special kid to swim while juggling school work in between practices.”
The swim team has six meets left with the season ending on Jan. 29. A dual meet against McIntosh at Kedron is the next on the schedule on Dec. 4. “Our biggest rival is definitely McIntosh, who has finished just behind us at county each year I’ve been on the team,” junior third-year member Nick Palmer said.
Even though each meet is important to the team, the coaches and swimmers have their sights on bigger goals. “I like to see us do well in all of our meets, but the main focus is to win another county championship for the 16th year in a row,” Abrams said. “Another goal is to try and qualify as many swimmers for the state meet as we can.”
To accomplish all these goals, the swimmers have to overcome the lull of the holidays and continue to perform at their best. “I would like to see my team improve on effort, because sometimes, we get tired and don’t want to put in any more effort in than we have to,” sophomore second-year member Cameron Byars said. “I want our team to go above and beyond our coach’s expectations.”
According to the coaches, the team has done just that this far into the season.
Although swim is composed of numerous individual events, the sport depends on a combined team endeavor to reach gold. “I’ve learned that it’s really a team effort to win swim meets, and everyone contributes to the team’s success in their own way,” Palmer said.
No matter what wins and losses the meets bring, the Panthers look forward to another successful and fulfilling swim season. “What motivates me to do my best is knowing that when I finish my race, my team will be there to support me, whether I succeed or not,” Byars said.
