Lead by Jaime Roberts, members of the new Wrangell High School swim team and their families held their first meeting recently. This is the first time that the high school has ever had a swim team, to Roberts’ knowledge, and she said that this year the team was being funded by a “student support and academic enrichment” grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Roberts said that there are currently 11 swimmers on the new team, but they have until August 24 to get new members signed up.
The purpose of the meeting was mostly to pass out information on what gear swimmers will need and to discuss the team’s schedule. Roberts, who also coaches for the Wrangell Swim Club, said that equipment like kickboards and buoys would be shared between the two organizations. Roberts said swimmers will need to provide their own swim caps, two pairs of goggles, and two swimsuits.
“We’ve been okayed for black swimsuits or a combination of black and red,” she said.
Roberts also suggested swimmers get a fleece jacket of some kind to keep warm when not swimming during competitions.
The high school swimming season opened on August 1, Roberts pointed out, and made extra emphasis on August 24 being the deadline for any students who are interested to sign up for the team. She said that the team will meet for practice Monday through Friday, 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. The regional competition will take place in Petersburg October 26 - 27. Should the Wrangell swim team succeed in regionals, they will go to Anchorage for the state tournament in November.
Along with the practice schedule, Roberts also provided swimmers with a list of her expectations for the season: Swimmers will swim for fun, not to please parents or coaches; swimmers will show up on time for practices, meets, and team events; every activity will be treated as an opportunity to learn; swimmers will commit to giving their best effort; swimmers will let the coach know if they have to leave early; swimmers will keep in mind that they’re representing their school and their coach; swimmers will be good sports; attendance at all team meetings, practice sessions, and swim meets is mandatory unless excused by the coach; active participation in all team-related activities is expected; swimmers will wear a team swim cap at all meets; school will be put first; swimmers will practice good self-care; and for the duration of the season, swimmers will not consume any energy drinks.
“If I had it my way it would be forever,” Roberts said about the energy drink ban. “I don’t know if I even need to elaborate on that, but that’s just going to be a policy for me … You’re going to be excited enough when you’re at a swim meet, you do not need any help from caffeine.”
The swim team’s first competition will be August 31 - September 1 in Petersburg.
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