Swim Team Interview

“The swim team is like a family. We are all very close to each other so it’s a lot of fun”. Sera Sun, a senior on the team and one of the four captains this year, tells me what she likes the most about the 2012-2013 ASIJ swim team.

The team this year consists of younger swimmers, which creates a very different feeling compared to last year’s team, Coach Loveman tells me. But even with a team of only four seniors, the underclassman and the seniors are starting to connect this early on in the season, which is a promising aspect. Typically, races range from 50m to 800m, but the team tends to be stronger in the short distance races. So for this season, Coach Loveman’s goal is for every swimmer to go beyond their comfort zone and contribute to the team by swimming races that are longer than what their usual is.

When I am in the gym locker room around 4’oclock, I can hear loud pump-up music being blasted from the pool. I can also hear Coach Loveman talking through a microphone, correcting strokes and giving out instructions for a workout. A daily swim practice consists of swimming continuous strokes, and sometimes breaking up into specific stroke groups. Yoga and dry-land practices where they work with weights and conditioning are thrown into their schedule, in order to be in the best shape possible for their Saturday meets, and for their invitational meet in February, which will take place in Manila again this year.

Even with a very young group of swimmers, the swim team is looking forward to winning the invitational meet a second year in a row. The season is just starting for them, but their future seems bright.