This season, the girls swim team has experienced a lot of growth and triumphs.
Senior and co-captain Kayla Chapman thinks that the team has been “pretty successful” so far and “we’ve won most of our meets,” she said.
Although she is personally dealing with an injury, she is still satisfied with the team’s outlook. “I think it’s on a really good trajectory, because we lost so many swimmers last year, especially club swimmers,” she said. “It’s kind of like this rebuilding phase now.”
Throughout the course of the year, those swimming on junior varsity have been improving, with the potential to “achieve varsity” by either the end of this year or next, said Chapman.
The team recently beat Putnam High School and Wilsonville High School on their Senior Night on Friday, Jan. 31. “That was really fun and exciting because we weren’t expecting to beat both of them,” senior Maria Buczkowski said.
Buczkowski’s favorite part about swimming is the community. “I have a lot of close friends on that team,” she said. “It’s kind of making me sad to leave.”
Chapman also has a specific appreciation for the team. “This group is really, really fun,” she said. “Everyone just seems really close with each other.”
This sense of community isn’t only found within the girls swim team. They also have a fairly tight-knit relationship with the boys team that isn’t always seen in a lot of sports.
“Outside of school, we all have a really good relationship,” Chapman said. “Besides just the points and swimming separation, it’s just one team.”
Now, the team’s league season is wrapping up for both teams, and they are heading to districts on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
One of Buczkowski’s bigger goals is for her relay to make it to state. “I think we could, or at least make it through both days of districts,” she said.
Districts were originally scheduled for two days, but were changed to only take place on one day.
Despite the season’s finale, Buczkowski wants to improve on the team spirit as a whole. “I feel like we could all improve on lifting each other up,” she said. “Especially on the 500s because those are super difficult and people always need some cheering on.”
She is also sad to see the season come to an end, and she will miss the away-meets along with her teammates and coaches. “I love my team so much,” she said.
As this is her last year swimming at La Salle, Chapman is also going to miss a lot, specifically the bus rides. “They’re just chaotic and fun, especially late at night,” she said.
To anyone considering joining the swim team, Chapman would “definitely encourage it.”
As swim is a no-cut sport, the stakes are fairly low. Additionally, there are other roles that you can fill, such as team manager. The coaches are also really flexible.
“Physically wise, it’s a low impact sport, so it’s really nice,” Chapman said. “Swimming definitely has a really good team culture, I’d go as far to say one of the best.”
