As the weather outside cools down, the indoor swimming pool gets even warmer.  Yep, it’s that time of year again; swim season is starting up!

The team, led by Coach Sherry, is already very busy, averaging 1-2 meets each week and practicing for an hour each night (9-10PM) from Monday-Thursday.  This can be very strenuous on Piedmont’s student swimmers; however, they seem to believe it is well worth the hard work.

According to Junior swimmer Savannah Kees, “Swimming’s a full body workout and it teaches you how to push yourself further than you think you can.”  This is an important lesson in everyone’s life because it reminds us to persevere, be persistent, and never give up – even when things seem utterly impossible.  Getting out of that negative mindset is truly a beneficial concept for everyone.

Senior swimmer Elle Yercheck also said, “There are a lot of benefits to swimming; it is a great workout and form of cardio that puts little strain on the body.  It’s also just a great life skill to have.”

Last year, the team took the Girls’ Medley Relay to Regionals and broke the PMHS record.  This was a huge victory for the entire team, and they’re all very proud of it.

Returning swimmers hope that last year’s accomplishments will lead to greater achievements in the upcoming season.  Yercheck said, “I see great success in the near future, as some of our younger swimmers are really talented and devoted to the sport.”  

Kees said, “School records this season are a big possibility,” 

Yercheck said, “I am most excited for the meets with other Union County schools… My biggest goal this year is just having fun and making the most out of my senior year.”  She is ecstatic to be back in the water with her peers, who share the same passion for the sport.

Meanwhile, Kees said she was eager to set “best times and school records” this season.  As a junior, she wants to “get as many school records as possible and… push myself as hard as I can.”  She has her eyes on the prize and is training very diligently to ensure her team’s rightful victory.

This may be more difficult than it seems because the team has two major struggles they will have to conquer this season.  The first is their size; the team is much smaller than it has been in years past, which provides less opportunity to work as a whole.  The second is rooted within the communication of the team.  Kees believes that the swimmers will have issues “supporting each other in practice and in meets.”

According to Kees, to overcome these challenges, the team will have to “become friends and teammates at the same time, because we don’t all know each other.”

This is not the only solution the team will be making however, as Yercheck pointed out, “We (the team) will overcome that (the struggle of being a smaller team) by being strong individually and training hard.”  Under the direction of Coach Sherry, there is no doubt that the team will be just as successful as they have been in years past.