By Helen Zeidman Editor-in-Chief Swimming may seem like a quiet sport at first, since all of the athletes are holding their breath the entire time, but a Red Lion swimming meet is anything but silent. Despite the hot and humid atmosphere, the bleachers are crammed with enthusiastic parents, siblings, and swimming alumni. In such an enclosed space, the roar of the crowd and athletes rivals that of a football stadium. Everything from the encouraging chants to the coach’s yellow and white Converse screams school spirit. Athletes are always crowded on the side of the pool, ready to scream encouragement at their teammates. Their spirit percolates through everything, making the team more connected.
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By Carly Guise Junior Editor-in-Chief Red Lion’s varsity swim team has made rebuilding a priority this year. “We had a top few swimmers graduate last year,” said Hannah Coligan, head varsity swim coach, “so we need the younger swimmers to step up and fill spots.” And a few of them have. Coach Coligan called junior Jacob Lorenzen “an energizer bunny” and the “master of distance,” while sophomore David White is versatile with strength in various strokes. On the girls’ team, senior Claire Aggen is one of the team’s strongest swimmers, both in and out of the pool. “She can out-bench, -squat, and -deadlift anyone on the team,” Coligan said. By Adrianna Clinton Co-Editor-in-Chief After a long season of grueling morning and evening practices, the Red Lion swim team fared well against their Division I opponents this season, and sent many to the YAIAA Championships, as well as the District III competition. The girls finished with a league record of 4-1 and overall finished 7-2, earning them second in Division I only to Dallastown, whose boys and girls have won the league title every year since 2009. Their brightest moment, however, came against a team on senior night who defeated them last season in a heartbreaker. “It was kind of sad but it made us want to beat them more...we had trained all year, hoping to win our Central York meet as the underdogs and we did,” senior Anne Mitzel said. Other highlights for the girls team include when senior Courtney Schaefer broke a Spring Grove pool record en route to a victory against the Rockets in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:08.64, with the original record being 2:09.93. While the boys were not so victorious against Central York, their season was just shy of the same success the girls experienced, finishing 3-2 in their division and 6-3 overall. “We lost a lot of talent with Eli (Aggen), Chance (King), Callum (Brandt), and Alex (Clark). The team really stepped up every meet. We lost to [York] Suburban by one point, and lost to Dallastown and Central, who are the best of the best,” senior Deion Prince said. For several seniors, their swimming career will not end at Red Lion, but instead they will be moving on to the collegiate level. Courtney Schaefer and Anne Mitzel will both be swimming in college at Division I Georgia Southern and Division III Messiah College, respectively, and Nick Petrella will attend Elizabethtown College and swim. Seniors moving onto districts in individual competition include Nick Petrella, Colin Sload-Diehl, Courtney Schaefer, and Amira Washington-Myers. Notably, junior Dyan North is seeded No. 1 in District III in the 500-yard freestyle, with a time of 4:44.58. By Taylor Bosley Staff Writer This fall Red Lion saw four of their female student athletes sign letters of commitment including senior swimmer Courtney Schaefer. Schaefer committed to Division One school Georgia Southern to continue her swim career at the collegiate level. Schaefer looked at various schools including University of North Florida, Campbell University, James Madison, Florida Southern and East Carolina. Different aspects of the school drew Schaefer to Georgia Southern, including head swim coach Nate Kellogg. “He’s laid back and fun but he also expects his swimmers to step up and swim fast when it’s time to perform when it’s time to perform,” Schaefer said. Also Coach Nate Kelloggs notoriety for IM coaching, which stands for individual medley where the swimmer covers all four swimming styles, and sprint coaching is also what Schaefer sees as a positive. “He’s a good IM coach and sprint coach which are what my best events are so I looked for a college that will also help me improve my times,” Schaefer said. Schaefer also likes the team as they are “bubbly and tons of fun” which she enjoys since her two current teams, club and school, have that same atmosphere. Schaefer thinks that despite the training in the pool being possibly easier than what she does now, the intensity will be at the same level as she currently faces. The weightlifting part of training is what she expects to be the most difficult. “I definitely know the weight lifting will kick my butt since I’ve never lifted before,” Schaefer said laughing. Schaefer hopes that a power based team like Georgia Southern will impact her swimming in a positive way and she will “be dropping time left and right.” Schaefer is looking forward to a great senior year in swimming and hopes to continue to improve. By Brooks Argento Staff Writer Red Lion swimmers splash into the water at the peak of sunrise, as they prepare for an early workout beginning at 5:30 am Mondays and Wednesdays. The swim team is the only team to arrive to school early for pre-school practices. When asked about her feelings towards the morning practices Sophomore Emma Rinehart said. “They are tough but I know we need something to push us to the next level.” This year’s swimming team returns a group which contributed to a 4-3 season for the girls, and a 3-4 season for the boys. This year will mark new leadership for both squads as the teams are now under the direction of new head coach Chris Doemland and Assistant Coach Kirsten Petrella. This team returns most of their starters from last season, including Chance King, Dylan North, Callum Brandt, and Eli Aggen. These of which make up the 4x4 medley relay team that last year broke the school record on their way to districts last year. The girls team returns very experienced names including Morgan Grove, Courtney Schaefer, and Emma Rinehart. A highly anticipated freshman by the name of Jessica Sun will be joining the ranks for the girls as well. The season kicked off Dec. 12, 2013 with a home meet against New Oxford. By Adrianna Clinton
Copy Editor The atmosphere of swimming that meets in Red Lion’s natatorium is like that of no sport event I have ever attended. As the swimmers get set to jump in, complete silence fills the air. The moment they enter the water, chaos erupts from the crowd. Each time the swimmer comes up for air, their teammates scream at the top of their lungs, “GO!” If the race is close, the volume of the fans’ cheers increases to an almost deaf-like level. Even the individuals such as myself who are not very familiar with the world of swimming can feel their anxiety rise as the race comes to a close finish. Many are not aware of the work that the swimmers put in prior to their meets. Each week, they have three days of dry land, where they run...and run...then run some more. Then they head into the pool, where they typically swim between 3,000-6,000 yards, burning anywhere between 900-1,500 calories. A common misconception most people have about swim meets are that they have adults who set up the pool for them. This is incorrect. Sophomore Anne Mitzel, who has been competitively swimming for five years, says the work is done by the swimmers. “The lane lines, the flags over the pool...that’s all done by us.” She went on to elaborate upon that the team greatly appreciates acknowledgement from students and the large attendance they have been having at home. |
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