Winter is finally here. It’s time to grab your coat, gloves, and… a bathing suit? Yes, you read that correctly. Put your goggles on because the swim season has begun.

Holiday cheer isn’t the only spirit circulating this season. When it comes to the NPHS Swim Team, team spirit radiates off of each member. 

Roxanne Sabel, the girl’s captain, said: “What I enjoy most, and I know it may sound weird, is going to the school locker room from the facility to change after morning practice. We always blast Taylor Swift and sing in the showers. It’s probably the best form of team bonding I have ever experienced.”

Van Lawler, a boy’s varsity swimmer, added : “I always look forward to the gatherings such as pasta parties with the team.”

In and out of the water, the team motivates each other to do their best. And now that things are opening up again, the team is able to be together more often.

Coach Cooper, the boys’ varsity swim coach, said, “I think that team bonding is stronger this year, because people can more safely get together now on. I definitely think it helps motivate them because they like being together.”

COVID-19 has definitely made an impact on how the team dynamic works. Before this season, the team had to go in based on their hybrid schedule, which divided the team and prevented them from seeing each other.  Even now, the team is “not able to use the locker room facilities at the pool,” said Coach Kempner, the girls’ team coach.  

Coach Cooper said: “I think that for this year, we just want to get back to a normal swim schedule. And we’re gonna see how that affects us in meets, and hopefully we’ll get to a point where we’re making some good strong progress in these meets as the season goes on.”

Lawler also thinks that swimming every day will benefit the team. He said: “Practice every day is the way we all can improve.”

Even the freezing cold and early morning wake-ups don’t crush the team spirit. 

Ian Landsittel, captain of the boy’s team, said: “We all do it together so it makes it a lot better.”

The swim team faces some pretty tough teams this year like Summit, Westfield, and Scotch Plains-Fanwood. However, this is how the team will improve.

“It makes you understand how the sport works, and it gets you battle tested for meets later in the year,” said Coach Kempner.

These meets may be difficult, but, as Sabel pointed out, the team spirit will continue to stay strong:  “Personally, I think our team works perfectly together, hopefully solidifying our wins.”

This is only the start of the swim season. Important meets are approaching, such as competitors from GL and all over the county.

“The competitive meets are probably going to be against Governor Livingston and Cranford,” according to Coach Cooper.

Sabel looks forward to the upcoming GL v.s NP swim meet in January, and the Counties meet “where everyone gets to suit up in tech suits and swim their fastest times at the Rutgers University pool.”

She is excited for the GL meet because “there’s something about the atmosphere where you can tell it’s a competitive meet but they’re also our neighboring town so there are some friendly undertones.”

Sabel’s goals for the season are ambitious, but she knows how much support there is in the pool to achieve them: “I would also like to see us grow as a team and I would like to see us all PR [achieve personal records]. Although it’s very hard to do, I truly do think each and every one of my teammates is capable of doing so.”