Swimmers, take your mark!

The 2018-19 swim and dive season began November 16, but not everything is the same as last season.

For the fourth year in a row, a new coach has been hired, with Marc Williams taking the reins of the team.

Additionally, fourth grade teacher Mrs. Turner has been designated as assistant coach.

Thirty-one students have joined the swim team, which is a net decrease from last year. However, there was a strong showing of freshmen on both the boy's and girl's teams meaning a relatively high number of swimmers for the foreseeable future.

Just as with any sport, a new player might feel nervous or out-of-place on the team. Thankfully, senior swimmer Saylor Hill has some advice for them.

"Just try your hardest! It’s hard at the beginning, but it gets easier as the year goes on. You just have to stay positive, and most importantly, have fun!" she said.

"Really push yourself during practice as much as possible," added sophomore Jazlyn Yanssens.

Vets like Hill and Yanssens are joined by one of the team’s winningest seniors, Andrew Cestra who will continue his diving dominance this season.

Along with all the freshmen, the team also picked up junior Rodrigo Marin, an exchange student from Spain.

"[Swimming is] something that I usually did in Spain," he said. According to Marin, he’s been swimming for three years already.

"I prefer the swim team here because I know almost everyone," he added.

Of course all sports have their weird and wacky traditions, and nearly everyone on the team is looking forward to something that has nothing to do with swimming.

Senior Don Hare's desire certainly fills the criteria of 'weird and wacky.'

"I am looking forward to exchanging gifts with other teams, namely I will exchange a gift of nothing in exchange for a swim cap from a member of the other team. This is not stealing, it is simply a friendly and sportsmanlike exchange."

How about some bonding for the mostly new team?

"We're probably going to play paintball and go to Bert's," said freshman Nate Grundberg, who joined swimming just a year after his brother Nick Grundberg graduated from the team.

The team's first meet is against Seton-La Salle at Keystone Oaks High School December 10.