The N.C. State club swim team will look to make a splash at the 2014 East Coast Collegiate Swim & Dive Club National Championships this April and have fun in the process.
The men’s club team finished fifth place out of 60 teams at the ECC championships last season, and Courtney Like-Mathews, a sophomore in science education and the club’s vice-president, believes that the team can finish in the top three overall.
“We have so many fast guys on our team,” Like-Mathews said. “I believe they could win first place in relay events.”
The swim club has competed in two events so far this season: one at Appalachian State and the other in State’s own Carmichael Aquatic Center. In Boone, the men’s team took gold and the women’s team finished fourth.
Kristin White, a senior in accounting and the club’s president, said the team continues to succeed because its members continue to come back year after year.
“People keep coming back,” White said. “Seniors have gone to ECC every year, so they have that experience.”
Swim club’s fun and friendly environment is a big incentive to returning swimmers. In the club’s home meet, which included teams from around the state of North Carolina, no score was kept. Instead, the club handed out cups of candy to the victors of each event.
“We got together just to meet each other and have fun at the meet,” Like-Mathews said.
As officers, White and Like-Mathews make conscious efforts to make everyone on the team feel welcome, and the rest of the club benefits from the tight-knit environment.
“The club swim team is inclusive,” Davis Derrico, a junior in textile and fashion manangement, said. “Each lane has different types of people, different majors, different ages, and different skill levels, which is the best part of our team. You don’t have to be an Olympic swimmer. You just have to be here, be committed and want to have fun.”
This year, White and Like-Mathews have used the first few week of each semester to get to know the new swimmers through fun events, such as Cook-Out runs and trips to Defy Gravity.
Andrew Green, a freshman in plant biology, said that for him, swim club was a great change from high school swimming, as not everyone in the club is required to compete in meets.
“It provides a lot of flexibility,” Green said. “If you want to go and be very competitive, you can do that. You can have a very rigorous practice and attend all the meets. But if you’re just there for the enjoyment of swimming or to get a workout, you don’t have to get bogged down by all the competitions.”
Despite the high number of hours that they put in at the pool, the members of the club still find time to volunteer work and raise money for charity. Last year, the team did a club fundraiser at Moe’s and raised money for the Dandy-Walker Alliance.
“Swim club likes to work with charity organizations and help give back to the community,” White said. “Not only does it make us feel good inside but it helps make the world a better place.”
Last semester, the club team participated in Swim Across America in Carmichael. Like-Mathews said the event was a great experience for the team.
“It was a wonderful organization where we all got to work together as a team to help raise money for cancer research,” Like-Mathews said. “It’s great because we get to give back to the community and get to know each other better.”
