Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle. The Long River Swim Team has been working very hard throughout their season in order to perform well at meets and perfect these four strokes. As the season is quickly coming to a close, the swimmers, the eighth graders in particular, led by Coach Mike Magas, are beginning to look back on their season and all of their success as individuals and as a team. There’s a lot to be proud of: the Wildcats currently have a 6-1 record with just two meets left in the season.
The team has 14 eighth graders, who seem to really be taking advantage of the time they have left on the team to perfect their techniques, strokes, and times. Most of the eighth graders interviewed – 90% of them – are planning on pursuing a career in swimming when they get to high school and so are using their time wisely in preparation for their next seasons. The eighth graders are looking back on their years on the team, at what they will miss the most, and what they will be looking forward to, come their high school seasons.
As many say, leaving is never easy, and it is no different with these kids. One thing that the eighth graders will miss most are the easy practices, which as I can attest to, will not be the case on the high school team. Victoria Gugliotti, Morgan Swift, Aly Rojcov, and Casey Brooks say that they will miss being with their friends the most. Cole Barrows, Camille Terrell, Ryan Curtain, and Jack Setaro will miss being with their friends as well, but they will also miss all the fun they had at meets and practices. Luckily, they will be having even more fun in high school– they just don’t know it yet.
The eighth graders have many aspirations for when they get to high school, which is always great to see. Melissa Noble, Brooks, Setaro, and Ryan Lamb have hopes of improving their strokes and times throughout their swimming careers. Lamb has more of a specific goal to break one minute in the 100 freestyle which should not be a problem to accomplish for someone that determined. Others, like Gugliotti, Grace Rua, and Swift hope to make new friends and learn from their new teammates. With these goals, the boys and girls of the Long River Swim Team will, without a doubt, have a fun and successful season.
Coach Magas has been coaching the team for three years now and has seen these eighth graders’ accomplishments since their first day on the team. When asked what he will miss most about the eighth graders, he responded with, “their enthusiasm for the sport along with their fun and excitement”. Coach has seen such an improvement in their strokes, techniques, and times that, when asked if he saw any changes, he exclaimed, “Oh my God, yes!” Coach Magas has seen these eighth graders have a lot of success in their careers thus far and can’t wait to see what they will accomplish next.
With two meets still left in the season, there is still plenty of room and opportunity for improvement. The eighth graders have had a great experience on the Long River Swim Team and will have an even better experience on Woodland Hawks territory.
The Wildcats have a meet on Monday, January 25th at North End and will end their season with a home meet on Wednesday, January 27th at 5:30pm against Wamogo. Good Luck Wildcats!
