Last Tuesday, the girls and boys swimming and diving teams kicked off the high school season by competing in their first meet against Pike.

Both the girls and boys teams won the meet. The girls won 10 of the 12 events with a score of 138-47.  The boys team won 11 of the 12 events with a score of 126-57.

“Our first meet was a huge success,” junior Anna Brames said, “We swam very well and many of us got some new best times.” 

Brames has been swimming for almost 10 years and is on the varsity swim team.

“Everybody tried as hard as they could and it was clear that our hard work is already paying off,” Brames said. 

After practicing for over a month, the team was eager to have their first meet.

“I was looking forward to the first meet because it’s the starting point for the season, you get to see how your team races and performs,” Brames said, “The atmosphere at these meets is always super fun as well, everyone is always cheering for their teammates.”

Although the meets are fun, swimming is a challenging sport. The team practices for 16 or more hours per week.

“Physically, swimming requires a lot of strength as well as endurance, so to best prepare for meets, we have very challenging swim practices as well as weightlifting and dry land exercise,” Brames said. 

“It can also be very mentally challenging,” Brames said, “Even when you’re exhausted, you have to stay focused so you can keep going. You can’t let yourself give up mentally or your body will give up physically.”

Although the first meet is over, the swim and dive teams have many more meets throughout the season. It is important for the athletes to stay motivated and try their best.

“I’m looking forward to our upcoming meets because it’s always fun to race other schools, and even more fun to race with my teammates,” Brames said, “Whether we win or lose, the meets are always exciting and everyone is encouraging toward each other.”