Swimming is a fun leisure activity to many, with many fun games and activities associated with the traditionally American pastime. But like with all athletic sports, some take swimming to a higher, turning it into a competitive sport involving lots of practice and effort. The team makes their achievements seem “swimmingly,” but dedication is a crucial component of a sport like this.
“The biggest motivation has been the sense of accomplishment. I like to know that I have the ability to do things,” said junior Makenzie Baisch, a member of the swim team. “Just being able to get through it and say, ‘Yeah, I did that. I hit that time; I did what I wanted to do. Yeah, I’m capable of doing that,’ has been the most rewarding.”
The Idaho Swim State Championships consists of many different events, one for both men and women respectively. Eagle High saw senior Brooke Collins become the state champion in the Women’s 50 Yard Freestyle, junior Henry Bokma gained a second-place spot in the Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle, and senior Sicily Bryson placed fourth in the Women’s 100 Yard Butterfly.
There have been many hurdles that these students had to overcome to get to State. Swim is a sport that’s all about perfection, so doing the same movements and same routines over and over again until all the kinks have been removed can prove some challenges mentally on the swimmers.
“It gets really repetitive, like really boring sometimes,” Collins said. “Changing it up, I would say, is what helped me get through that cycle.”
Not every swimmer experiences the same problems; many issues regarding swim are personal and different amongst each member of the team. It all depends on what they are going through during that moment.
“Practices are 7:30 at night, and some workouts are really challenging both mentally and physically,” Baisch said. “There was one time I almost passed out. It can be difficult swimming for an hour straight.”
Despite overcoming many roadblocks on their journey, the Eagle High Swim Team competitors gain plenty of treasured experiences, lessons and increased endurance and athletic ability from being on the team.
“I’ve gained a lot of friendships for sure. It brings happiness and just having a group of people just hanging around is really cool,” Collins said. “Memories I’ll keep forever like some of the team meets, team dinners, picture days; I’ll remember them, and I’ll take them with me. It’s also just really good for my body, just being able to work out also brings out that happiness.”
These students’ dedication to an activity they love dearly has clearly paid off, as they have won medals and accolades not only for Eagle High, but for themselves. This sports often gets overlooked and everyone on the team should be praised for their hard work and aspirational, tight-knit community they’ve crafted.
“I’ve had a lot of people say they want to try swimming, and when they try swimming, they really like it, and you can either put all in or you can have one foot in one foot out,” Collins said. “A lot of people don’t even know we have a team so it’s so good to just sign up and try.”
