Devina Tavathia
When the MC swim and dive team reached the Poway stadium on March 22, the ever present spirit and friendly attitude of MC’s varsity team may have led the Titans to believe it was going to be an easy victory. However, as the swimmers took their positions and the buzzer rang, junior Connor Kidd, senior Julianna Fox , and junior Ethan Smith utilized their countless hours of training and raced their hardest. With the outcome of the meet leaning in Poway’s favor by a slim 20 points, MC was satisfied with their performance.
Photo credit | Jenna Nicolas
“At the Poway meet last Thursday, I don’t think we could have done much differently,” Smith said. “The only thing we could have done would have been to change the lineup, but I truly believe that if we had a little more training we could have beat Poway.”
Even in events MC is known for, such as their relay races, Poway was able to outdo the competition.
For instance, Smith, who placed first in the 200 and 500 freestyle, but placed second in a relay race, is accustomed to getting a gold in these three events.
“In our league, Poway is our biggest competitor,” Fox said.
In high school level swim meets, individual winners are determined by timed races. However, points are awarded to relays and single events to determine which overall team wins the meet.
Photo credit | Jenna Nicolas
MC lost the varsity swim meet due to a lack of training and focus. The team chooses to think of their loss as a learning experience.
“Next time I will try to focus my mind on the match,” Kidd said. “I definitely could have won the hundred back [stroke], I just was not in the right state of mind. It was definitely a learning experience that will come in handy next time we face Poway or Cathedral.”
Kidd participated in the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. He placed first in the hundred freestyle; an event in which there is little room for error. In the 100 backstroke, Kidd’s experience in the event was easy to point out as his speed came with ease, and his technique was precise. However, his lack of focus led to sloppy flip turns and slanted stream lines, causing him to come in second.
As a team, MC performed well in short distance events, such as the ones Kidd raced in, as well as relays. However, longer races were where MC lost their points.
Photo credit | Jenna Nicolas
“Everyone placed really well in [relays] and everyone gets hyped up for them,” Fox said. “The longer distance freestyle events we have work to do. There was definitely an endurance issue, but I am sure [the team] will work very hard to improve their endurance.”
On Thursday, March 29th, MC will race against Del Norte. With a promise of less intense competition as well as experience and newfound knowledge from their previous meet, MC is ready for their upcoming competition.
“It feels like now we are prepared for anything,” Kidd said.
