By Sevanah Sandoval
The Benicia High swim team rarely gets any attention. There is no pool on campus, and high school swim meets have never been very popular events for other students to attend. Nevertheless, the team deserves spotlight for the year they are enduring. It is time for the swim team to get the attention they deserve from the student body.
The swim season had a rocky start with the news of the James Lemos pool, the swim team’s practice facility, being closed until April. This forced the team to practice at Southampton Aquatic Center, which is a tiny four-lane pool that is less than twenty-five yards long, the standard length of a lap in swimming. Despite this, BHS swim coach Mariska Field is still looking forward to “seeing [her] swimmers reach their goals, and seeing the newer swimmers blossom.” Field is well-equipped to take on the less-than-ideal hand the team has been dealt as she enters her 25th year of coaching.
So what keeps Field tied to the sport? Well, her passion for watching swimmers “fall in love with the sport” and the building of comradery throughout the season proves to be very rewarding for her, perpetuating her coaching career.
A proper spotlight on the swim team highlights the swimmers. This year, the team is very diverse in experience–making the team a welcoming place for new and experienced swimmers. While Jillian Duane (Senior) swimmer reported that she has been swimming for two weeks, Aden Li (Senior) said he has been swimming for twelve years.
There were also diverse answers to the question “What is your favorite part of swimming or being on the high school team? Their answers range from comradery to having fun with friends, forming a theme of connection with others through swimming. Grace Barnes (Junior) loves “being able to build connections with other swimmers on the team,” and Olivia Pettit (Senior) named comradery as the reason she loves swimming. She specifically mentioned a scenario in which “you are swimming a tough race, but have a large group of teammates cheering at the end of your lane. The swimming community is truly so amazing and supportive.”
What swimmers are excited for this season varied. Aden Li (Senior) is excited for NCS and is hoping to place in the top ten in the state. Piper Whitty (Junior) and Mackenzie Mincy (Junior) are looking forward to the upcoming meets, “especially the Encinal Relay Invitational. [The team has] never gone to that meet before and it seems like a lot of fun,” according to Piper. Mackenzie is also hopeful about the meet, seeing it as “a great meet for team bonding.”
This year, the BHS swim team only has one home meet. On April 12th at James Lemos, the swim team will host their senior night against Alhambra high, in which they will honor over fifteen senior swimmers! The team is rallying to get more people to show up to this special event. Colin Healy (Senior) believes “we should try to get as many of our classmates to come out to senior night as possible as this year we only have one home meet on the entire schedule.”
Try something new and support the Benicia High swim team on April 12th at James Lemos pool for exciting races and relays and a huge senior night. Go panthers!
Quotes from BHS Swimmers
What is your favorite part of swimming/being on the high school team?
“Getting food after dual meets with some teammates.”
–Aden Li, Senior
“My favorite part of being on the high school team is the camaraderie and teamwork. It’s cool to see everyone come together and support each other in and out of the pool.”
–Piper Whitty, Junior
“My favorite part of being on the high school swim is spending time with my friends after school.”
–Jillian Duane, Senior
“My favorite part about swimming is having fun with my teammates at swim meets and practices.”
–Colin Healy, Senior
“I love the competition and how high intensity it is as well as being around my friends and having fun”
–Jordan Snowden, Senior
“My favorite part of swimming is the friendships I’ve made on the pool deck over the years. Specifically on the high school team, I really enjoy swimming with and spending time with friends that I’m not on the same team as outside of our school’s team. It’s fun to swim with lots of different people and also against friends that I have on other teams.”
–Mackenzie Mincy, Junior
What are you excited for this season?
“Taking advantage of being a Team Captain this season and bringing the team closer together.”
–Skye Holme, Senior
“This season I’m really looking forward to the meets. They are such a great opportunity to not only swim fast, but also learn more about my teammates. My favorite part is the relays. Swimming is a largely individual sport, but relays are an opportunity to swim as a team and are great scoring opportunities.”
–Olivia Pettit, Senior
“I’m excited to learn more about the sport and training to be a swimmer this season.”
–Jillian Duane, Senior
“I’m excited to see how I improve this season vs last year’s season!”
–Grace Barnes, Junior
“I’m looking forward to my last season of highschool swimming with a group of great teammates.”
–Colin Healy, Senior
“Having fun and seeing how far [we] as a team can go!”
–Jordan Snowden, Senior
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