Girls’ swimming started off on November 12th against Clay. The Colonials scored 51 points while Mishawaka started off their season with a splash, scoring a winning total of 128 points. Their coach, Bev Buysee, has been coaching the Lady Cavemen Swimmers for 5 years and has very high expectations for them. Coach Buysee has coached for triathlons and was in the Coast Guard, so she definitely knows what it takes to win.
Buysee wants to see continuous improvement not only in her team’s swimming ability but in their academics too. “The girl who is working hard at practice will show continuous improvement throughout the season and demonstrate the kind of heart it takes to be a winner”. Ask any team member and they will tell you that swimming is far from easy and to be good, you must try you best every day.
The girls’ team is made up of 25 members, each one considered to be on Varsity. The team depends on each other greatly since the score is made up by adding everyone’s points together. Besides that, they all have a mutual respect for one another and work hard together. Junior swimmer, Rebecca Byers, commented saying, “I’m really proud of all the girls who have come out this year… I applaud any girl who can stick with it through the whole season… Each of the girls add something positive to the team.” For anyone who wants to swim next year, but are scared of joining, take some advice from one of our exchange students Gema Trincado-Perez, “They (the team) are really nice, they always helped when I started. The best part of the season is the meets; we support each other and talk. It’s so fun”.
The team has gone up against Penn (44- 144), Elkhart Memorial (51- 131), Riley (62 -124), Bremen (105-81), St. Joe (44-142), and Marian (97-89) which all took place between November and December. Their latest event was January 9, the Washington Dive Event, where they tied 6-6. Mishawaka’s next meet will be a home meet against Concord on January 21.
Coach Buysee would like to mention how well the team is doing, “I’m very proud of this team and the progress each girl is making. We are lucky to compete as individuals and combine our strengths into a team score. This year we have enough girls to fill events and alternate swimmers in the different events. This is a great group of girls to work with. Each one is special in her own way and the team needs each and every girl who has the heart to swim or dive”.
The school wishes the girls good luck in their upcoming competitions!
