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Girls Swim Undefeated and Proud

“This year, Woodland girls’ swim beat Seymour for the first time in twelve years and we broke their four year streak of dual meets,” said Kyla Behrle, the swim team captain.

The Woodland swimmers reached many goals this year, including closing the season as an undefeated team, breaking Seymour’s records, and conquering their biggest competitor, Naugatuck High School.

“The energy this year was so different,” said Maura Beltrami, a member of a record-setting 200-medley race. “We came in as a strong team.”

Mike Magas, the head coach, created a lineup that would showcase each of the girls’ strongest abilities.

“I made a lot of lineup changes throughout the season,” said Magas. “I understand what they all can do and I wanted to reflect that into the meets.”

While Magas noted on how well the girls collaborate and encourage each other, the line-up affects the way the girls work together.

“It’s a feeling that’s unmatched because you are there with your teammates. You see them putting in all this hard work at practice. For it to pay off and see them do great is a good feeling,” said Beltrami.

The swimmers worked hard and preserved to pull off their wins this year. Motivated by how long it has been since they beat Seymour (12 years), the swimmers accomplished one of their original goals for the season.

“We have the ability; it was just being focused and the motivation to take care of business that we really needed,” said Magas.

To stay motivated for their important meets, the team looked toward the end of the season.

“Every meet we focused on the fact that championships were coming. We had to work towards that because it’s our main goal,” said Beltrami.

In order to work better together, in season, the team participates in activities like “Secret Swimmer” that help them connect as a team and learn more about each other at the start of the season. And in the off season, most of the girls also swim off-season together which supports their strong, family-like relationship.

Not only did the Seymour meet reflect their unbreakable bond, but also the Naugatuck meet did as well.

“The most important meet was Naugatuck,” said Behrle. “Going into Seymour we thought [that was the most important meet], but were mistaken.”

Both Naugatuck and Woodland had beaten Seymour when the swim team went to Naugatuck’s pool. The Naugatuck meet determined who was going to have an undefeated season.

“They come ready for us every year,” said Beltrami. “However, we gave the girls a good pep talk beforehand and that really paid off.”

Woodland girls’ swim proved that motivating each other and taking motivation from other sources, like social media, can help reach goals. One statement that has pushed the girls this season and will continue to push them in upcoming years is from their coach:

“Just swim, have fun and do your best.”

Hannah Mudry

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