The Issaquah Girls’ Swim and Dive team won 166-69 against their long-term rivals, Skyline. Julia Kampf had a perfect game as she got the fastest time for several races: the 200-yard free, the 100-yard free relay, the 200-yard free relay, and the 400 yards free relay. Diving is one of the hardest things in swimming, as small things can get you disqualified, yet our players did exceptionally well ensuring their diving form was correct. With so many players and improved times, their chances of making KingCo are high. The team’s collaboration and their teammates’ support are inspiring, and freshman Ava Datta can attest to that. She says, “Cheering on teammates is a rewarding, high-energy, fun way to end the evening.” With the support of other players, many athletes I spoke to accredited their decision to join the ‘Swive’ team to their teammates’ aid. Freshman Daphne Chen states, “I love cheering on my friends and teammates, and through the swim team, I met many friends.” Being supported by fellow athletes encourages one to do better and feel better about themselves while swimming.

The most anticipated and loved relay is the 200-yard relay. The cheering and intensity of the relay, with the support, loud bells, and fast players, make the 200-yard relay the most critical relay. In the 200-yard relay, four athletes must swim 50 yards each, requiring immense skill and concentration. Datta explains, “My favorite race from today was the 200 free relay because being able to do a short freestyle race and cheering on teammates is exciting and my favorite part of the evening.”

This game contains a lot of tension as Skyline has been our rival for a long time. Head coach Laura Halter says, “My hope for this meet is to win and make sure that we win against Skyline as they’ve been our main rivals. We also hope some of our girls make their qualifying time to make KingCo or state.” This meet exceeded what Halter wanted as many players exceeded their qualifying team and the Issaquah swim team won against Skyline. Halter explains her passion for teaching students, “I was a swimmer myself as a kid and was a teacher for many years; it was a nice addition to go from teaching to swimming with teenagers. I did it in Minnesota and taught in Issaquah for 20 years.” With Halter’s passion for teaching and how long she’s been teaching, it’s no surprise the girls have learned new skills and pushed themselves. Chen explains, “I first chose to be on the swim team because my mom wanted me to, but as I got more into it, it got fun! I set a goal to go to more meets and improve my time, and I’ve gotten very far!” With how much effort Halter puts into teaching, many athletes push themselves to practice, and as a result, many exceed their qualifying times. In conclusion, this meet was a brilliant success as many players exceeded their time and won against their longtime rivals.