The Taft JV Swim Team City Championships were held on Saturday, Oct. 23. The team was ecstatic for a chance to win for themselves and their school. They spent all season practicing, focusing especially on technique during the final week. 

The meet was a great experience for many of the newer swimmers to the team. However, it was also nerve racking. “I get really nervous before meets, but as I jump I get confidence,” said Emilia Buga, Taft sophomore on the team. 

It was also important that the swimmers did not tire themselves out before their competition. “We worked extra hard and focused on the main sets for the meet,” said Betsy Adame, Taft sophomore on the swim team. Staying focused and not overworking themselves helped to save their energy for meet day.

The meet was also a great chance for the swimmers to enjoy their time and get closer to each other. “It was really fun and I got closer to the team,” said Buga. 

When time came for the meet, the Taft swimmers were pushed to their limit. “It was really challenging and made me push myself to my limits,” said Buga. The meet was a great opportunity for the swimmers to demonstrate their ability. 

The Taft JV Swim Team concluded their meet with a hard fought fourth place result against many strong competitors such as Jones College Prep and Lane Tech College Prep. “We worked extra hard,” said Adame.

Despite the challenge they faced, the swimmers stayed composed and focused. “I was feeling nervous because all the other teams were there. It all just washes away in the water,” said Adame.

It took a lot of time for the swimmers to be prepared for the day. They spent months in the pool working for hours a day to be able to compete. They practiced on days off and they took extra time at the end to be the best they possibly could be.

The coaches and the girls all worked very hard to win not only for the school, but for themselves. It can be a very big personal achievement to win something against some teams that you never thought you could beat.

“Overall, being at JV cities made me realize how valuable our team is,” said Tia Kaloudis, a Taft freshman on the team. 

With all of the previous meets, the swimmers were all very prepared to show up on time for their events and we helped each other stay on top of everything they needed to do. “The team worked well together, everyone knew what they were doing and we did what we had to do to do good as a team,” said Sophia Copeland, a Taft freshman on the team.

“It was very competitive, but everyone pushed themselves and overall we did good,” said Copeland.