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Swim and dive defeat Del Norte

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Photographer || Zac Solomon

Swim and dive kicked off with a winning streak this Friday at Del Norte, sweeping for both boy’s and girl’s Varsity and JV teams. MC swimmers are optimistic about their chances this year, based on these early victories.

However, the swim team doesn’t get their results without extensive practice.

“The swim team is one of the few sports that has a morning practice,” sophomore Uy Tran said.

“It starts at five or five thirty to seven,” freshman Lauren Hicks said. “We usually get there at four forty-five.”

The team also switches up locations with little training field trips.

“We did a beach workout too a few weeks back,” Tran said.

And while their muscles might be feeling the pain from training, MC swimmers focus on their biggest goal. Winning. The results are evident with their Del Norte victories, and the racers are willing to put in the extra hours it takes to get first place.

“It really pays off at the meets,” Tran said. “We have a pretty good swim program here. We end up doing pretty well, actually.”

Meets last for a few hours, but preparation begins much sooner for the teams.

“We have a special chant. It’s been an ongoing tradition for years,” junior Megan Kolp said.

“To other people it just sounds like a barbaric war cry,” Tran said.

And pre-race anxiety is a part of any swimmer’s experience, especially for the newbies this year, but it fades quickly with the adrenaline of the competition.

“Once you get through the first race you’re like, okay, let’s go, let’s do this,” Kolp said.

All the pressures of the sport, from early mornings to nerves, lead up to the big meets ahead. Looking forward, MC faces their biggest rivals, and is prepared to challenge them the best they can.

“Right now it looks like LCC is one of the higher schools. Also Torrey Pines is a very strong school as well,” Tran said.

Even so early in the season, MC is setting their sights on the biggest wins.

“The main meet we look forward to is leagues and CIFs,” Tran said.

However, the biggest advantage MC has, according to the team members, is their spirit. The new freshmen on Varsity have been impressed by the team’s attitude more than anything else.

“The team overall this year is very supportive,” said Hicks. “I love that they’re enthusiastic. They’re very cheerful and very nice. They cheer people on even if they have a bad day. I think the team is really good this year.”

Even though races are individual, swimmers do maintain a sense of teamwork.

“I think the team has come together more,” said Kolp. We’re more integrated and we have a bunch of fun together. We enjoy this sport.”

What it comes down to is the relationships between teammates. At the meet, MC red and gold lined the lanes on the Sundevil side, cheering the other swimmers on. With this kind of solid start and pure enthusiasm, MC could go far.

Written by Annie Price

Annie is a senior and a co-editor-in-chief for the MC Sun. Her hobbies include dodging questions about her future, driving on an empty tank of gas, and forcing people to look at pictures of her dogs.

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