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Beating the Boys

All is quiet on the pool deck of Woodland Regional High School, as the referee picks up the microphone to begin the next event in the Woodland vs. Sacred Heart Boys Swim Meet.

“The next event is the 500 yard freestyle, swimmers step up.”

5 boys and 1 girl rise to the starting blocks, prepared to swim 20 laps.

The referee sounds the buzzer and the race begins. Five laps in and it is clear that the one girl in the middle lane will be the winner of this event–again.

That one girl is Julie Hinckley, sophomore swimmer for the Woodland Boys Swim Team. She’s  been swimming for 5 years, and when she came to Woodland, she had trouble choosing between which sports to play. She decided to swim for the Boys team in the winter so she could run cross country in the fall.

Hinckley knew she was up for a challenge when she joined the boys’ team. She would be up against male swimmers who had a biological advantage over her. In order to qualify for NVL or state meets she would have to make lower times than she would if she was swimming for a girls’ team. But she hasn’t let these challenges stop her.

“I’ve had a good experience swimming for the boys,” said Hinckley. “I’ve had the chance to make a lot more friends and challenge myself.”

And challenging herself has paid off . This season alone, Hinckley has racked up a number of first place finishes,  including winning the 200 and 500 freestyle events in their meet verses Crosby, the 200 IM and the backstroke verses Wilby, and the 200 IM verses Seymour. She has also been consistently breaking her best times.

“Julie’s motivation is really inspiring to us,” said captain, J.D. Dyckman.

Next up for Hinckley is NVL trials on March 3rd and NVL Finals on March 6th.