What really goes on in the swim team?

Sophia Fordyce-Tucker

At Kennesaw Mountain, the swim team has been around for many years. The team has won countless awards and titles. I have only been on the team for two, but in those two years alone I as well as my teammates have improved greatly. During Covid, the practices changed, as everyone had to stay 6 feet apart, and people had to be at different ends of the pool. They also stopped doing dryland (which is exactly what it sounds like, exercise outside of water). This year finally felt normal, as we had regular practices and meets, and we got to go to Savannah. On November 4-6th, the team went to Savannah to participate in a huge meet; it is the first time we’ve been able to since 2019. Practices consist of kicking exercises, drills, and endurance. Once a week we practice a stroke we want to get better on, it is helpful for practicing endurance and the correct technique. We practice at the Central Aquatic Center in Marietta.

We practice to drop times in our races- and beat the other teams competing against us. We have seven coaches- Coach Reason, Coach Michalke, Coach Lubbers, Coach Nord, Coach Hart and Coach Ware. Coach Hart is the diving coach, and Coach Ware is new to us this year. Each coach assists with different strokes. They all help each swimmer improve, and they help with our weaker points of the technique. It feels amazing to drop times and beat your personal records.

Because there are many teams throughout Cobb County, and only one aquatic center, we only get one hour of practice. Some swimmers are on a year-round team, so they practice with that team. We vary the times each day- for example, Monday and Thursday are from 8-9 pm and Tuesday and Wednesday are 7-8 pm. Although it is late, it is a great way to end the long school day. It burns calories, and it leads to the best sleep. If you are looking for a sport and you’re unsure which to choose, swimming is a great option. It doesn’t matter how fast you are, or if you’ve never swam before, because each coach will help you improve greatly.