The Club Swimming team provides a relaxed atmosphere, according to many of its members. The team practices only three days a week, as opposed to the varsity team that practices more frequently.
“We are laid-back in the fact that we get to joke around with each other during practice,” Laura Weir, a freshman in science education, said. “We are a lot closer of a team because of it. We also get to stay fit and still have a life outside of swimming.”
Some members of the team have swum year-round and were actually members of the varsity team at one point.
“Laura Weir and a few others are some of the top competitors during meets,” Michael Dixon, the club’s president, said. “But most members are here for recreational or social reasons. We have social events, like pasta parties, before meets where we really bond as a team.”
Even with the social aspect, the club still has a training focus. During practice, the team has a scheduled workout that should be completed. This includes a warm-up, sprint sets, distance, practice of all strokes and a cool-down.
“Everyone on the team is really nice,” Amy Kirkpatrick, a sophomore in biomedical engineering, said. “It’s OK if you can’t make it to a practice. They understand that we all have a life outside swimming.”
For beginners, practices may be on the difficult side, according to Anna Dice, a sophomore in fashion and textile management.
“It’s hard to swim for an hour if you’re just starting out, but the more you come to practice, the easier it gets,” Dice said. “Even if you have been swimming year-round for a while like I have, the practices still provide a challenge. It’s just about how much you push yourself.”
According to team members, the hard work pays off at meets, which occur about six times a year. This year, the team travels to Elon, East Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia to compete. So far this season, the team has done well, coming in third place in its last meet at Elon. “It was really rewarding to come in third when you see all of these teams from all over the East coast,” Weir said. “This was a huge accomplishment for our team, since we are a lot smaller than some of the teams we competed against.”
The team’s next meet is scheduled to be at Virginia Feb. 23. The club this year is a lot smaller than other years, so members who do compete in meets have to work a lot harder, according to Weir.
“Our numbers are a lot smaller than other club teams, and everyone who swims in meets is very competitive,” Weir said. “This is because we know that we have to place near the top of our events in order to make up for the lack of swimmers.”
The Club Swimming team is not just members. Many are close friends and interact outside of the pool.
“We do lots of stuff outside swimming. We’ll go to dinner, and the girls will usually get together and watch Grey’s Anatomy,” Kirkpatrick said.
The club’s laid back attitude makes it easy for new members to join, according to Dixon.
“We welcome everyone, at anytime through the year,” Dixon said. “We just swim and have fun. The team welcomes all skill levels from never swimming to experts.”
