As the swim team trains for the 2012-2013 season, they also are getting used to some new faces. This year’s team has 34 swimmers, 14 of which are new including one diver.

“The team is very friendly, we all talk to each other a lot,” senior guys Captain Austin Siu said. “I love the team everyone gets along together.”

The first sanctioned meet of the year was Sept. 29 against Leander, where the team pulled out a win with the greatest overall points.
Not only are they a strong team, they are also a strong group of friends as well.

“The team is a big family — very welcoming and fun to be around,” freshman Allie Hettrich said. “It’s really fun, I like the people and being able to do what I love.”
Junior Mitch Effren, who is new to the team, said everyone is fast, hard working and positive.

“The team is very diverse and interesting. I think we’ll do really well with all the hard work we’re putting in,” Effren said.

The team trains Monday through Friday from seven to nine a.m.On Mondays and Fridays the team has dry land workouts where they focus on core and push ups and run before practice. On Tuesdays through Thursdays, the focus is technique, turns and dives.

“Getting up in the morning is always the hardest part,” Siu said. “Coach knows what we can do though, and she pushes us just enough.”

Recently, the team participated in their annual Red vs. Black inter-squad meet that provided its own challenges. Unlike most traditional meets, the Red and Black team dress up in their teams colors and come up with cheers to compete against each other.

“We got together before the meet and made tee shirts and just hung out and got to know each other,” Siu said.

Besides the nontraditional inter-team competition, there are also some nontraditional events included in the Red and Black meet. The Cap Relay, which is not an actual event, requires swimmers to exchange a single cap throughout a relay, and the T-shirt relay entails the exchange of a large T-shirt between relay members.

“We had to work together in the exchanges of the caps and shirts,” Effren  said. “It took everyone on the teams help.”

The team is off to a strong start with a win against Leander and hopefully many more to come very soon, starting with the KISD Monster Mash this weekend.

“I really think this is going to be an amazing year for us “said Siu. “I know we’re going to make it so state.”