As the winter season comes to an end, the KO varsity swimming and diving team reflects on the great success they have found this past season.
Following the Founders League championship on Saturday, Feb. 24, several swimmers finished with successful times. Senior Damian Czartoryjski won the 200-meter freestyle, setting a new school record of 1 minute, 41 seconds. Czartoryjski also took home the 100 butterfly, breaking both the Founders and school record with a time of 49.96. The team was also supported by sophomores Samit Virmani and Daniel Grigorian, and junior Eudel Ma. Virmani was successful in the 500 freestyle, placing third with a time of 4:55.73. Furthermore, Virmani, Grigorian, Ma, and Czartoryjski also placed third in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:22.56. During the relay, Czartoryjski set both a school and Founders record time of 46.09.
The girls team also had a few standout performances from juniors Makenzie Gallagher and Miya Scranton. Gallagher placed 16th in the 200 freestyle and 13th in the 100 butterfly, while Scranton placed 16th in the 200 IM and 10th in the 100 breaststroke. Due to these overall strong performances, the team was set for success in the NESPAC Championships.
Apart from their statistics and meet performances, the team’s coaching staff is filled to the brim with supportive and passionate individuals. “The sport of swimming is lovely in the sense that regardless of where you start, you can improve,” Head Coach Kata Baker said, “and, you get this very clear feedback – that is, a time on the clock. And, there are so many different ways to get better, including the stroke and the flip turns, so it’s an excellent kind of opportunity to show yourself. And, I can show the students that they’re capable of more than they even think that they are capable of.”
Since the season is coming to an end, practices are becoming different. “So we do something called tapering,” Coach Baker explained, “where we’re essentially tapering off on how intense our workouts are, and we get ready to swim fast at the last meet. It’s less aerobic work and more rest. But also when they do swim, they’re swimming really fast, so that they can practice what they want to do at the meet.”
The boys team has also found success this season, with an impressive 2-1 record. “Things have been going pretty well,” senior Co-captain Ted Simons said. “Now we’re on to the final championship meets of the season, and we are tapering and preparing for those.”
With a 1-2 record, the girls are still doing the best that they can. “We’re not a winning team,” Poulin said. “Because of our size, there are only nine girls and typically other teams have close to 20 girls.” Because of the point system in swimming, the size of the team greatly matters. Since the KO girls team is much smaller, it becomes extremely challenging to beat a bigger team. Despite their size, the girls still do their all to be a successful team.
The team is currently working on retaining their positivity throughout practices. “A lot of swimming is mental,” Poulin said. “I think our attitudes can be a little bit higher. I think just having the confidence in yourself, even if you don’t drop an insane amount of time is super important.” However, the team makes sure to cheer each other on during meets.
The team looks forward to the NESPAC Championships, and the KO community is confident that they will continue to perform well.
