Diving Right Into Swim!

The Oakwood swim season is off to a rocky start. Unlike previous years, the team has just six swimmers. Nevertheless, the swimmers are ever determined to do their best, as evidenced by the first two meets.

The low number of swimmers this season has presented obstacles. Most notably, the team is unable to form a relay, which impacts its rank. Each relay consists of four swimmers, and those four swimmers have to be either fully boys or fully girls and either fully sixth graders or fully seventh through twelfth graders. The team only has two girls, two seventh through twelfth-grade boys, and two sixth graders. This small team size means that they will earn fewer points because the fewer swimmers, the fewer places taken, whereas the higher a swimmer places, the more points the team can earn.

However, every cloud has a silver lining. The smaller team size allows for more individual work at practice as Coach Hurt can provide more individualized attention to each swimmer and coach them on specific techniques. Additionally, a smaller team frees up room in the usually crowded swim lanes. The swimmers can take up more space in the lane instead of worrying about whether or not they will run into another swimmer or the lane line.

The first meet of the season took place at Aquaventure. It was a relatively small meet with only twenty-eight events, and four of the Oakwood swimmers competed. The Oakwood boys team placed sixth, and the Oakwood girls team placed fourth. Both teams combined placed fifth with sixty-four points in total. During the second swim meet, all of the varsity swimmers participated as did some sixth graders. The Oakwood boys team made it into fifth place while the Oakwood girls team landed in seventh place. Unfortunately, the combined scores are not yet available.

In conclusion, the Oakwood swim team is doing very well in spite of the limited number of people who joined. They’ve had two swim meets so far, and each has produced strong results. Eagle fans can look forward to what else the team has to offer. If you have any questions about how to support the team or when you can attend the meets, contact Coach Shelby.