The upcoming winter sports season marks the start of Chamblee’s swim and dive season. This year, swimmers, divers, and captains alike are excitedly preparing for a great season. Tryouts for new swimmers were held on October 10, with the season full of early-morning practices and late-night meets commencing the next day.
While many new swimmers are joining the team, members from last year are ready for the competitions and the fun.
“I am honestly just excited to be on the team in general. I love the freedom, and I feel like it is something you can do when you are feeling upset and something you can do forever. I did some technique training over the summer, and I am excited to bring that to the team and hopefully get my time down,” said Peyton Shaw (’24).
The team welcomes new and returning swimmers with open arms, along with a new addition to the team: Rob Reynolds, one of the coaches for this season.
Last year, the team accomplished a lot and state championships were a great success—the boys’ team came second overall, and the girls’ team came in fourth. One of the team’s beloved coaches, Lorri Reynolds, hopes that the teams can accomplish the same, or even better, results this time, though there is some room for improvement.
“I just love the competition and the camaraderie. Last year, we had a really good season. The boys really stepped up and had a phenomenal season. This year, we just need more girls that can swim all four strokes—that would be really beneficial to us,” said Reynolds.
This year, along with welcoming new swimmers to the team, new captains were introduced, Nasir Harrison (’24) being one of them.
“My goals as a team captain are to make sure the team has a great time, and to be a captain that kids will be able to go to for help and advice throughout the season,” said Harrison.
Team members hope that the captains will be able to meet their goals because of the team’s high performance last year.
“Last year, the captains had a lot of power on the team in the water. But honestly, I feel like we could do better with the captains’ involvement overall. Even though [the captains] organized theme days and whatnot, outside of that, they didn’t really do a lot,” said Shaw.
Reynolds has high hopes for the captains this year as well.
“I’m hoping that my captains, my upperclassmen, will grab onto [the new students] and bring them into the fold as well,” said Reynolds. “It can be an intimidating experience being on the team for the first time.”
All swimmers are ready to kick the season off with a splash. Look out for upcoming meets this month, and wish Chamblee’s Bullsharks luck.
