Girls swim and dive is off to a strong start to their season, having won all of their meets as of Oct. 14. Many swimmers and divers are already looking to compete in state championships for their events. To qualify, athletes must meet specific swim time or dive score requirements set by the Washington Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association each season. The times and scores vary by event.
“I really want to try to make states this year, and I know it’s gonna be super hard, but I think I might be able to do it,” freshman Kirsten Hau (she/her) said. She’s aiming to go to states for a few individual swim events and wants to qualify for a relay as well.
“The season’s been pretty good,” Hau said. “We’re warming up to it. Since I’m a freshman, I was a little nervous because I don’t know many people, but it’s been a good opportunity.”
Hau said she now has people to wave to at school and has already made some new friends. Aside from practices and meets, the team holds pasta feeds where the swimmers and divers can eat together and bond. Hau said their already close relationship has been growing as the team spends more time together, even though swimmers and divers practice separately. With swim practice starting before school and dive practice scheduled for the afternoon, the athletes are off to a busy start.
“I think it takes a lot of dedication to get up at 4:30 in the morning to go in a pool, in a sport where you’re talking to the water and not talking to anybody else,” head coach Anthony Schulz (he/him) said.
Some athletes, like freshman Amelia Pletosu (she/her), even practice multiple times a day between their school team and their club team. This rigorous routine can be challenging to keep up with.
“Sometimes it’s tiring. I like being at swim, but it takes up a lot of time. I have practice two to three times a day,” Pletosu said.
Swimming provides athletes of all levels a mental and physical challenge. As a distance freestyler, Pletosu struggles with the mental aspect of the sport when her body gets tired as she swims.
“It feels like you’re dying,” Pletosu said. “You can see, when you’re looking down on the ground, the ground is not going anywhere.”
It becomes harder for her to stay focused and swim well when her mindset isn’t right. To stay balanced, Pletosu said she turns to meditation. She meditates every night before bed, as well as before every big swim club meet. She likes to go into a quiet hallway or the locker room to get into the right headspace.
“It’s hard staying focused and not getting distracted and actually zoning in,” Pletosu said. “It helps me not think.”
Pressure to learn dives in time to compete them also poses a challenge to athletes. In particular, learning to do certain “Dives of the Week,” specific dives that are required to compete in a meet, is difficult, freshman Adalynn Van Winkle (she/her) said.
“One of the biggest challenges is the mental block on some of the dives that you have to do, because if you don’t get those dives, then you have to find a way to still compete them,” Van Winkle said.
Divers who don’t learn dives of the week in time are moved down to the JV level for those dives to still earn points for the team.
For motivation to push through, the team encourages each other with rehearsed team cheers. Before each meet, the team circles up in the water. Swimmers and divers hold onto each other, jumping and spinning in a ring around their captains. The captains also spin, holding onto each other and jumping as they lead their team through a series of chants. They cheer through multiple formations, ending by splashing water into the air. It’s also common for athletes and coaches gathered at the edge of the pool to cheer on swimmers when they come up for air during their events.
“It’s like trying to get each other all hyped up,” Hau said. “It’s such a fun experience. People are cheering behind the blocks, people are cheering on the deck, and it’s a crazy time.”
Beginners and longtime athletes have come together over their love for the sport. Hau said it is a fun experience for anyone, and Van Winkle encourages people to join.
“It’s not really popular, but it’s really fun,” Van Winkle said, “Even if you’re not really good at swimming, you could still be diving. You still get the chance to try something new.”
