The swim and dive team is splashing into a new season with hopes to not only improve their personal and team record, which ended in placing seventh in the Cap 8 last year, but to make memories.

“The swim team is a very social, fun group to be apart of,” said Coach Courtney Wainio. “We practice, have team dinners, cheer at meets and establish great relationships together.”

Unlike other teams, their main goal is to have fun and create a strong team bond.

“We are a very tight knit family,” said junior Leo Hurab. “We don’t emphasize on the win as much as we try to always help each other get better and be there for each other.”

Although the team does not get caught up with winning and losing, they still work towards increasing personal records.

“Many of the swimmers are motivated by improving their own personal times,” said Wainio. “It is good to see a swimmer have the desire to improve and do what it takes to reach their goals.”

The swimmers strive to motivate each other in order to improve their personal records.

“Swimmers often share in the joy of achieving their personal bests and feel rewarded from each other’s accomplishments,” said Wainio. “A strong team bond is important because it is not always easy to self-motivate or improve individually at every single swim meet.”

Captain Amanda Kohl has also taken the part of the team cheerleader. Since she has made so many close friendships on the team, cheering on her teammates comes naturally.

“I am really close with the people on my team,” said Kohl. “I get everyone excited to jump into the freezing cold water. We have a good team and we enjoy each other’s presence so we always have a good time at the meets.”

The swimmers agree that the captains have a positive influence on the team.

“The captains help by setting an example to the rest of the team,” said senior Jake Weitnauer. “They are the biggest supporters of their teammates. We have such positive energy within the group.”

The swim team is not all fun and games, though. There is still a lot of work that must go into practicing.

“Swimmers need to practice to improve their endurance, speed, and technique,” said Wainio. “If they do not practice, they will have a difficult time reaching their goals and can ultimately hurt the team by not pulling their own weight. A swimmer needs to be able to swim all four strokes legally and a strong base to be able to handle practices.”

One of the best parts about swimming are the long-term benefits that come from it.

“Swimming is one of the few, true, lifetime sports,” said Wainio. “Swimming is a low- impact activity and is something you can do recreationally or competitively at any age.”

The team looks forward to another fun season and hopes to influence other students to join the team next year.

“We look forward to building our program even more next season,” said Wainio. “Please contact me, Coach Wainio, if you have an interest in joining next year and you can find out what you need to do to be apart of the team!”