On October 14th, the Lincoln Girls Swim Team went up against Eastside Catholic in their penultimate meet of the season. During the final sprint of a race, the pool deck was erupting with cheers. Dozens of swimmers lined the edges of the pool, shouting encouragements to the racers. The support didn’t stop until the last swimmer had finished the race. There was a collective understanding throughout the whole team: support every single swimmer at all times. This attitude radiated through the entire building, with some athletes leading the group in cheers, and some giving last minute pep-talks before races. They won that meet, which kept their 7-0 winning streak alive. I sat down with some of the team captains to learn more about the team atmosphere they have cultivated. 

“The team has always had a really positive energy” said Naomi Yau. “We’ve tried really hard to maintain a good environment within the group.” The team is made up of over 60 swimmers, which is almost double the amount they had last year. This season, it’s up to the four captains to lead the group to victory. The team has been on an unbeaten streak since the beginning of the season, and is currently sitting at the top of the Metro League standings. “It’s amazing. I’m so proud of us. I love winning, so it’s been really fun. We haven’t been able to win this much in the past.” said Madeline Fox. “We never dreamed of doing that in 9th grade” added Amelia Freeland.

When the team started in 2019, the founding group was faced with a challenge: building a team entirely from scratch. While this seemed like a daunting task at the time, it paid off in the end. “When the team started we were less than 20 people, so we were able to start off with a really close knit community.” said Freeland. As the team has quickly grown over the years, it’s clear that good leadership and a positive team environment were crucial to keeping the team successful. When asked about the future, Yau responded optimistically: “I hope that it will continue its upward growth and that we will get better and better each year. I hope our team environment will stay very positive, welcoming, and inviting.”  

When asked for any final words, Fox replied with one simple phrase. In the words of Lightning McQueen: “Kachow.”