Swim, eat, dive, sleep, repeat. This endless cycle tells the timeless tale of what it actually looks like to be a part of aquatic sports during the winter season.
For swimmers, the day begins before sunrise. At the gym before 6, the swimmers know what it is like to lose sleep for something they love.
Swimming is more than aimless kicking and pretty arms. This sport is one of the few that actually works the whole body. It is easily tiring and takes endless motivation. Practice routines differ based on varsity ranking, but no matter the title, workouts are ruthless and endurance is necessary.
“A typical practice usually lasts two hours, and you’re there ten minutes early and stay up to a half hour late,” junior Paul Pechous said.
For everyone on the swim team, both male and female, being in the pool for four hours a day is a normal occurrence.
“The girls’ team has weight training for an hour and 15 minutes in the mornings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then on Tuesday and Thursday mornings we have practice in the water for an hour and 45 minutes. In addition we have practice every afternoon, except Thursday, for two hours… then a two hour practice on Saturday mornings if there is no meet scheduled,” junior Lauren Mayo said.
On top of lengthy practices, conditioning adds to the weekly strength building of a swimmer. Much like any other sport, swimmers compete almost weekly, striving to better their swim times and techniques.
“We’re up there… and we just do dryland. We’re doing weights, running conditioning. In the water we’re… training, doing drills, stuff to get better in the water as well,” Pechous said.
Swimmers aren’t the only ones that spend hours improving themselves every week. When swimmers are taking a break from the water, divers take their place.
“We start practice at 5:30[p.m.]. We’ll stretch and condition for 30 minutes, and then we practice on the board until 8,” senior Brooke Dolan said.
Though diving does not exactly sound like the hardest sport out there, there is far more work that goes into it than that of what meets the eye. Conditioning consists of running stairs and basic core exercises.
On top of the physically demanding side of things, there is a certain mentality that goes into being a diver. It has its motivational challenges, like any other sport, however they are partnered with the initial apprehension that comes with diving head-first into a body of water.
“The other teammates motivate me more than I motivate myself because they are more motivation for me to be there than practice is itself,” Dolan said.
Together, the swimmers and divers make up a team called the Storming Antlers. Just because practice times differ depending on whether one is a swimmer or a diver, it does not change the fact that they are part of a team.
A team is a team, no matter the personal differences. The Storming Antlers are the true exhibition of this. Everyone on the team knows what it means to persevere through tough practices and work through mental blocks.
“Just go for it… no cuts. You’ve got nothing to lose. It’s really fun, and the people are awesome,” Dolan said.