Sheboygan (NBC 26) – Sheboygan Christian Swim Team is approaching the end of the first season in the history of the school, meaning the launch of a program that almost did not exist. While building a recent team from scratch was associated with challenges, Data coach Van Allen said that it was a satisfying process that provides students with recent sports opportunities.
“It’s just a funny sport, it’s a difficult sport, it’s a satisfying sport,” said Van Allen. “It is also a less common sport and I think it is really good for children who, like me, are not intended to be athletes. Winter sport to be done. “
The first year’s fluid Nolan Schmitt was not sure if he would have the opportunity to compete in high school.
“My parents contacted our sports director, saying:” Hey, is this something we could come up with? ” – said Schmitt. “Suddenly I get a phone call from my sports director. He says: “Tell my mother to call. I have great news for you. ” And it hung up. It was probably one of my favorite nights of last winter.
Team recruitment
After approving the program, the next challenge was to get a sufficient number of athletes to compete in the relay.
“We were looking, we were looking, trying to find the fourth guy,” said Schmitt. “One day I was sitting at the table, and my friend approaches me, and he says:” Hey, I am interested in the swimming team. How does it all work? “I said,” Come with me, jump into my car, just go with me to exercise. “
This conversation helped fill the team’s relay composition, and from there the eagles jumped to the first season, learning the secrets of high school competitions.
“Because this is the first year’s program, these are many of the first matches of people,” said Schmitt. “This is my first season in high school. I am a first -year student, so I am still thinking about heat orders and such things. But we all wonder slowly. “
Van Allen said that the first year focused on learning the basics and preparing for future seasons.
“This year, being all subclasses – we had three first -year students and one second -year student – consisted mainly in wetting their feet and giving them a sense of how sport it is, how they meet, such things,” he said. “We hope that we will be able to build in this next year, and if recent children come out, they can look at the guys who were there, they did it and learn from them.”
Arranging the foundation of growth
As a coach for the first time, Van Allen said that one of the most satisfying aspects of the season is the progress that his team made.
“To see how children put on work and remain involved throughout the year, and then simply write checks, write checks, writing checks – just come by the end of the year and earn them – he rewards me as a trainer,” said Van Allen. “But I also think that this is a good lesson for them: you put on something, keep your nose in a grinding stone, and finally there is a payment. You just have to be patient and conscientious about working. “
While the first season was successful, the team has great goals for the future – including increasing the size of the list.
“One thing that everyone wants to see is the growth of this band,” said Schmitt. “A little bigger, be able to swim more events, have more people in more relays and increase more points at meetings.”
Van Allen, who sailed in the high school team in Iowa with 70 athletes, agreed.
“I hope that as time passed and disseminating the lips, the boys had a good experience this year, they go and talk to friends and force them to leave,” he said. “This is one of those sports in which yes is an individual sport, but there is a lot more fun with a larger team.”
Finding a constant home pool
The team is currently dividing internships between two different pools, but the long -term goal is to secure a dedicated object.
“Finding a place where we can go whenever we want and practice in our schedule would be huge,” said Schmitt. “Having a home pool would make a world.”
Van Allen agreed, saying that consistency in planning would be a priority next year.
“We are still traveling between two pools, but the consistent time was helpful,” he said. “I hope that next year we will be able to resist it and maybe start working in morning internships, more dry land and strength training-these additional things that can help children improve.”
Looking to the future
Regardless of what the future brings, Schmitt said that this first group of athletes would always be able to say that they were there at the beginning.
“Of course, I don’t know where this program will go,” said Schmitt. “I think this program is definitely going. I don’t know how quickly we will reach these places or what it will be, but I did not wrap it around him. It’s super cold and it’s almost a monumental what we have done this season – the improvement we introduced from our sports director and school, not knowing anything about swimming teams to have now.
