The Sentinel swim team recently competed at the state swim meet in Butte. There were over 17 teams competing this weekend and Sentinel is one of them. Prior to the team leaving for State, I asked some of the competitors how they felt about the season thus far. All of them thought that it had been a relatively strong season. This was only proven by the Sentinel boys’ swim team taking home gold for the first time in Spartan history. 

Leading up to the meet, the team had confidence that they would win. The boys’ team had numerous members say that they predicted to win by at least 40 points. Clair Powell, a sophomore on the girls’ team, was sure of her teammates abilities in the pool saying, “We’re all really strong swimmers and if we take fourth, we’ll win.” The team’s confidence was obviously well founded after both teams had a successful state meet.

Some of the team’s success can be attributed to the training schedule. They’re up and in the water by 5:30 am twice a week, and then after school for an hour and a half for three days. The extreme commitment the athletes have to their sport means that they are almost guaranteed at least some success. The team spirit also has had an impact on the success rate of the team. A team can become like a temporary family, and Sentinel swim is no different. The environment is made for optimal camaraderie between all the swimmers.

In order to qualify for State, swimmers must be top 30 in their event. Sentinel had 12 swimmers compete: Ascher, Deaton, Hanks, Hemenway, Hiday, Hommerding, La, McCormick, McCormick, Mizner, Moe, and Powell. Five of the competitors were on the girls’ team, the other six were on the boys’. These competitors put their all into the competition, and managed to bring home the first place trophy. Congratulations Sentinel swimmers!

The past swim season has been an amazing one for the competitors, and hopefully next year will be just as great. Either way, the student body of Sentinel High School is incredibly proud of what the swim team has accomplished.