The Varsity Swim Team is plunging into another season, ready to take part in learning, teamwork, and competition, preparing themselves for a great experience this year.

Longtime Varsity Swim Coach Ethan Green has his own expectations of the team.

“This season, I’m expecting mistakes, because the swimmers are new,” said Coach Green. “But I’m also expecting lots of learning and success.”

Senior Sophie Vigil is expecting another great season this year.

“I’m definitely excited to swim this season,” she said. “We don’t have Placer, so we have a great winning chance at meets.” 

Other Bruins are excited for the new competition and their chance to take the lead at meets.

“I really like the competition,” said Junior Braden Fowler. “That, and being with friends, is what can make swim really fun.”

Freshmen Jake Van Bourgondien agreed with Fowler.

“I’m excited, but I’m also nervous about swim meets,” he said. “They seem really competitive.”

As the year has started, the swimmers have been doing well.

“It has been going very well, and the new swimmers have been catching on very quickly,” said Coach Green.

“Practice is pretty easy right now, we are learning how to swim the strokes right now, it’s fun,” said Fowler.

Being new to the team, Van Bourgondien was expecting the practice to be more mentally challenging.

“I expected to be doing a lot of stuff that I have no idea how to do, but it’s fun,” said Van Bourgondien. “I really like practice – mostly because I feel really fast.”

Vigil also said that practice is starting out simple.

“It’s good, we are all learning and it’s very slow pace right now, as we are working on strokes and how to do them,” she said. “I expected it to be fun, how it always is because I’ve been on the team all four years.”

It’s often important to think of a goal for a season of a sport. Vigil elaborated on what her goal was for the wonderful season ahead.

“My goal this high school season is to be a good teammate and to have fun because it’s my last year,” she said.

Some Bruins have more competitive goals for the season.

“I want to go to PVLs [Pioneer Valley League Finals] swimming breaststroke as well as freestyle if I end up swimming it enough, and it would be awesome to have a fast men’s relay team,” said Fowler.

Coach Green is also enthusiastic about the team’s probability in its future meets.

“I’m most excited about the fact that both teams, girls and boys, have a great chance to compete at their league champs, especially with the number of new swimmers,” said Coach Green

Van Bourgondien has a competitive goal for the season, too.

“I want to do good at meets,” said Van Bourgondien.” I [also] wanna go 15 seconds for a 25 freestyle.”

Fowler explained why he enjoys swimming.

“Swim is hard sometimes, but the whole aspect is really nice,” Fowler said. “It’s nice to be with the people on the team, and my friends. It really makes it all worth it.”

Most of the swimmers are bonding with others as they practice.

“I’m hanging out with my friends who are on the team and it’s really fun,” said Vigil. “I’ve been on the team with some of them for all four years.”

Van Bourgondien is also enjoying time with the people he swims with.

“I’m making friends,” Van Bourgondien said. “I’m hanging out with my water polo friends as well because many of them have joined swim.”

Coach Green said that truly, how far the team gets this year will be up to them.

“What we accomplish this year is really up to the whole team and how important this really is to them,” he said.