New Trier Boys Swimming and Diving won their first meet to kick-off their 101st season last Saturday, December 1st against Rockford Guilford. The meet was hosted by New Trier, and the team defeated Rockford Guilford.
A highlight of the meet on Saturday for Sam Falter, a Junior Varsity swimmer and Junior at New Trier, was the diving.
“I really enjoyed the diving on Saturday. This is the most divers we have had in my three years on the team, and I was very impressed to see how far they had progressed already.”
The Diving Coach, Bruce Kimball, has high hopes this season for the team.
“I hope we can get a state qualifier in Reiker Seiffe (junior), and a full and competitive eleven dive list for the other team members: Sean Gies, Leo Minvielle, George Owen, and Drew Parkinson,” he said.
Kimball recognizes that the team is going to have some challenges this season.
“We’re going to face a lot of great divers,” he said. “The biggest challenge, I think, for the team will really be getting the basics down to then build on top of. For diving, you need to have those basics in order to do the harder dives and start to be competitive. I can tell that they are grasping those little details and are having fun. They all had a great first meet and I can see them all having a successful season,” said Seiffe.
Falter said winning isn’t the team’s main goal.
“It’s our mentality that the scores are almost never revealed. Victory is an expectation for us; we don’t care by how much, as long as we carry on the winning tradition. It’s like how we wear our drag suits to dual meets,” he said.
Looking ahead, assistant coach Lawrence Stoegbauer says the team’s biggest rivals will be Hinsdale Central, Evanston, Naperville Central, and Loyola. Falter is watching Naperville.
“The Naperville schools, both North and Central, always provide great competition. Last year, Naperville North was the runner-up, so they’ll be pretty solid this year as well.”
To beat these teams, members of the team will need to rise to the challenge.
“We need to fill some holes left by the senior class,” said Stogebauer.
“There are some talented kids with the potential to step into these spots, but it remains to be seen if they believe in themselves enough and are more importantly committed enough to realize their potential.”
Captains Reed Malone and Jack Mangan, who were 2012 Olympic Trial Qualifiers, are expected to fill those spots. Malone and Mangan both hold the national record for the 400 free relay.
Captain Brian Walsh is another swimmer to watch this season, as well as senior David Tao, junior Jae Park, and senior David Schriesheim.
The team trains before and after school to improve, and the coaches use training techniques such as reviewing videos to correct problem areas.
“We also use cutting edge training techniques, lots of stroke technique, DVR, dryland training, and plyometrics, in an effort to help the swimmers achieve their potential,” said Stoegbauer.
Falter attributed the team’s success to its level of training.
“The swim team’s strict training regiment on all levels is largely what we attribute our profound success to. We believe that we train harder than any other team in the region, and that that is what makes us so successful,” he said.
Stoegbauer explained just what makes New Trier’s team so successful.
“Above all, I just want them to continue to grow as fine upstanding, moral individuals. Wins and losses come a dime a dozen but character will last long after they are done racing,” he said.
The team’s next meet will be a home meet against Naperville Central on Friday, December 7th at 5:30.