Outside, the weather is growing frigid and there’s a newfound chill in the air. People are gearing up for the holiday season. The sky is growing darker earlier each day, and we’re lucky if we don’t look out the window and see a blanket of white. For most, this means that it’s time to break out the heavy coats and bundle up as much as humanly possible. However, for some at Freedom, this can only mean one thing: it’s time to swim!
‘Tis the season for goggles and the wonderful smell of chlorine; swimming is in full swing. This year, the team prepares for their season by practicing at Sunrise Pool in New Brighton. Generally, practice lasts for about two and a half hours after school Monday-Thursday.
Not having a pool at Freedom to practice in creates a challenge for the swimmers. Many of them, especially underclassmen who can’t drive yet, struggle to get rides to and from practices because the school only provides a bus for meets. “Underclassmen do have to talk to the upperclassmen to get rides to the pool; it can be a struggle at times, but it’s not too bad,” Senior Sam Schweinsberg said.
This has been an issue over the past few years, and the problems still continue with maintaining a bigger team when there is a lack of a swimming pool. There are very few swimmers making it to practice on a consistent basis. This is frustrating for both Head Coach Bill Layton and the swimmers, and if participation at practices continues to decrease, a decision could be made concerning the future of the program.
Regardless of the difficulties with transportation and participation, the team tries to make the best of a difficult situation. “I [was] looking forward to the bus rides because that’s where we bond the most as a team,” Junior Meghan Bohach said. “However, I [was] looking forward to MACs even more than the bus rides because it was one of the best experiences.”
Due to unforeseen medical issues, Bohach will not be able to swim this season.
Layton said that he is preparing his young athletes not only for meets, but for a lifelong journey. “We’re all in this together as a team, and I am here to give the guidance these young athletes need,” Coach Layton said. “Every day that I’m with my swimmers, I can relive many of my own past experiences with them…and show them what I, as an athlete, went through.”
The team’s first meet is Dec. 9 against Cornell and Beaver Falls.