Boy Swimmers Test the Waters

Swimmers+Ian+Burley%2C+Jacob+Stroup%2Cand+Nolan+Steingraber+display+their+shaved+heads+following+the+Boys+Swim+Team+tradition+of+bleaching+their+hair+white+for+a+week+late+in+the+season.

Swimmers Ian Burley, Jacob Stroup,and Nolan Steingraber display their shaved heads following the Boys Swim Team tradition of bleaching their hair white for a week late in the season.

   The boys swimming team began their season at the beginning of December. The team’s days start early in the morning and go on into the night. Their practices consist of dryland and in the water training. Practices can be long, hard, and tiring.

   “The most challenging part of the season is the beginning,” said Jacob Stroup, senior varsity swimmer. “There is so much hard work that you have to get started on, with all the things you haven’t been doing for a while.”

   The beginning of the season is always rocky, Stroup explained, but the end result is satisfying and impressive.

   “About 75% of the time our swimmers reach their all-time best times during the postseason,” said Mr. Miner, English teacher and swim coach.

   There are a couple of traditions that go along with the boys swimming team each year including dressing up nicely the week of the meet as well as bleaching and then shaving their hair as a team.

    “My favorite part of the season is when we get to bleach your hair,” said Alex Larson, sophomore varsity swimmer,“ because we get to show the school that we are a part of the team.”

   The swim meets typically take place on weekends at one of the schools in the Nic-10 Conference.

   During their practices, they work on different events, some of which they either like or dislike. There are roughly sixteen events that swimmers can partake in. 

   “My favorite event is the 50 freestyle,” said Stroup. “I like this because it is all about how precise and powerful you can be.”

   Besides favorite events, swimmers and swim coaches also have a favorite time in the season.

   “My favorite part of the season is the postseason, when we swim the championship meets and the sectional and State meets,” said Mr.Miner. “These test us to see if all we did in the regular season by way of practice and meet performance helped us attain our best level of performance.”