So far the swim team has been having a great season. The team has been put up against some tough teams like Westfield and Chatham, and had a couple of particularly intense meets against Scotch Plains and Governor Livingston. This year there is a general feeling of widespread inclusiveness and chemistry. Practices seem to be harder and the kick sets seem to never end once they start. But overall, the team is rising to the occasion and is performing with high caliber this year.
Coach Kempner said, “This year has been a great year for the both the girls and the boys team. It is the positive character of the team and the hard work being put in at each practice. The girl’s team is phenomenal this year and the boys are winning a lot of meets they didn’t win last year. I hope to end the season with more wins than losses for both teams and I believe we can do it.” The hard work has been paying off. Unfortunately, we have only played water polo once so far.
The team’s biggest victory was against Governor Livingston on January 8. Everyone knew this would be a tough meet especially since the guy’s team hasn’t beaten them in a while. After a few races both NP teams took early leads that were maintained until victory.
Captain Kelly Carroll said “We’ve never had a team this talented before, so having both the boys and girls teams beat GL was one more thing to add to our list of accomplishments this year. Having a winning record is awesome but beating our town rivals is the icing on the cake. I’m looking forward to counties this year so we can make our final mark on the season by finishing second, losing only to the power house Westfield.” This was probably the most anticipated meet of the season and the guys decided to dress up like the basketball and wrestling teams to build up the excitement during the school day. This clearly worked because when the ties came off and the team suited up everyone was ready to kill, crush, and destroy.
There are still a few more meets this season and counties to look forward to. Right now most of the swimmers are focusing on improving times. When it comes to swimming, breaking a minute on the 100 free is a highly sought after goal. Everyone can improve a little and the coaches realize this. That’s why coach Goldstein always yells, “Finish every lap to the wall!”
The consensus this year is that the swim team has raised the bar to a level that has never been seen before. Captain Harry Clewell said, “We beat a lot of teams this year we have never beaten before. I think this is the best team in my four years.” So as the end of the season approaches the swim team will do what it does best and just keep swimming, but as Senior Steven Bronocco always says, “Swim Faster!”