At the Boys Varsity Invite at Evanston Township High School on Saturday, Jan 9, the New Trier Boys Varsity Swim team won the meet against both Neuqua Valley High School, from Naperville, and Arrowhead High School from Wisconsin.
After the strong finish, the Boys Varsity Swim team is on track for a run to state. Junior Patrick Drake said, “We had a lot of best times and we pulled off the win against some great teams.”
Drake’s teammates seemed to agree, as senior Will Kinsella said, “I think we all had some really solid swims. I think almost everyone executed their races perfectly.”
The wins are a sign of the team working well together. The season started with practices in November and the first meet in the beginning of December.
However, every season, talented seniors leave the team and a new group is thrown together. Varsity Head Coach Josh Runkle said, “Every year is different, every team unique. For the most part, individuals are different from season to season.”
This results in a different dynamic that each individual must adjust to. Senior Charlie Scheinfeld said, “While some standout swimmers graduated last year, the team this year is very well rounded.”
“After taking some time early in the season, I feel that we are starting to round into form,” Runkle said. Now that the team is working well together, they are more able to focus their energy on their goals.
Runkle said, “The obvious ones are to win all our meets and defend our conference and sectional titles.” Similarly, Scheinfeld said “One of our main goals every year is to place very well at the state meet in February.”
The team’s aspirations are the same nearly every year, but to achieve them is always a challenge.
With the state meet looming in the distance, practice time is very intense. The team usually practices twice a day, four days a week, and once a day, twice a week, not including the swim meets.
While some students may find this schedule challenging, the swimmers are very dedicated. Junior Jack Walter said, “It really is a great opportunity to build great relationships with your teammates.”
Runkle added many practices are necessary to achieve their goals. He said, “When you are in water, it’s more difficult to move. To cover the same distances as, say a runner would, it would take a swimmer about four times longer to do so.” Therefore, more workouts are required to strengthen the individuals and improve their time.
Because of this, swim practice is regular and intense. However, the boys have adapted to it, and it is now part of their regular schedule. “I know everything I need to get done in the week and I plan accordingly,” Kinsella said. “The less organized a swimmer is, the less sleep he gets, and the worse he performs in practice.”
Recently, students got two weeks off of school for winter break. While many used this time to catch up on sleep, the team’s swim practices continued.
“We all want to get better and we’re all willing to make sacrifices to do it,” Drake said.
Teammate Kinsella agreed and said, “Aside from the necessity of just continuing practice, it’s a good way to take two weeks to focus completely on swimming.”
This kind of positive thinking is evident throughout the team. “They’re competitive athletes who know all the hard work will pay off in the end. They have a great bond with each other and support their teammates,” Runkle said.
The team looks to the intensity of their practices as a way to continuously improve their skills and boost their rankings in the state. Last year, they finished the state meet in fifth place. The year before, they were sixth. The last time they finished first was in 2012, following their first place wins in both 2010 and 2011.
“At the end of the year, we want to put ourselves in a position to compete for a state championship,” Runkle said. “As far as each individual, we hope they are prepared to perform at the highest level they are capable of.”