Take your mark… Go!

These 4 simple words started off the first post pandemic live swim meet on December 1, 2021.  Last year, the swim team was forced to swim “virtual” meets which essentially meant that each team would swim their events in their own pool, and submit recorded times.  These meets were held with no spectators and swimmers were told to leave after their respective events.  

Our first swim meet of the season was against the fierce Blue Devils of Westfield High School.  Although New Providence lost, the team had a fantastic first meet, full of cheers, excitement and team bonding.  Here’s what two current swimmers had to say when asked about the start of their swim season.  

How did your first dive into the pool feel this past Wednesday?

Corinne Walsh (Junior): Diving into the pool this past Wednesday felt really exciting.  The atmosphere of meets is amazing and hearing the cheers when you finish a race is really rewarding. It’s really nice to finally be competing back in person again.  I missed being able to feel like I was actually competing and not just swimming against my teammates. 

Shonchori Mukherjee (Senior):  It feels really good!  The last time I competed in person was my sophomore year and online meets were definitely not the same. Seeing as it is my senior year, I was pretty excited for the first practice.  I am really excited about our season this year and wanted to get to work right away.

What’s your favorite thing about being part of the New Providence High School swim team?

Corinne: My favorite thing about being a part of the swim team is how close we all get throughout the season.  Waking up before school to jump in a pool definitely brings a team closer together.

Shonchori: My favorite thing about being part of the swim team is the team spirit shown in meets.  I love cheering and watching the team come together to help encourage our fellow teammates in their races. 

Will you be trying out different events this year?  If so, which event?  If not, what event do you typically like to swim at meets?

Corinne: In past years I typically swam the 50 free and the 400 relay every meet, but trying out the 200 free at our last meet last year and our first meet this year has been very exciting, and I am looking forward to it in the future.

Shonchori: My sophomore year, I used to swim the 100 breaststroke.  However last year I was put in the 200 free and 100 free more.  This year, I am starting to swim more of the 200 free and 100 breaststroke.  

How do you motivate yourself for morning practice? 

Corinne: To motivate myself for morning practices, I usually just think about being in the water and practicing.  I really enjoy the sport so practice is something I look forward to.  Once I am finally in the water, I am able to get more excited and forget about waking up. 

Shonchori: I know that practice plays a key factor in success.  While morning practices took some time to get used to, I try to look at the bigger scheme of things, as I know it will help the team in the long run.