Although Schreiber does not have a pool, the girls varsity swim team is one of the school’s most successful sports.
The undefeated Lady Vikings practice at the Port Washington Yacht Club pool until it gets too cold out.
When the weather changes in the late fall, the girls wake up early three days a week and take a bus to Great Neck North to practice. After a long practice, the girls get back to Schreiber just in time for their first period classes.
The swim team works hard all year and has out of school training during the off season led by coach Mr. Joseph Lennon.
“We had many girls training in the offseason with outside programs and teams. The hard work paid off as the team finished the season 7-1. It was an amazing outcome from a very dedicated group of girls,” said Coach Lennon.
Many people in the school are unaware of the team’s existence, and its swimmers are trying to become a more well known team. The team has won three consecutive conference titles, including this season, and attained a cumulative record of 22-2-1.
“We were focused on winning and making the swim team better known in the school. We all worked as a team and pushed each other,” said senior Izzy Fagen.
This year, the team is sending its largest delegation to the Nassau County Championships. Among the students representing the team at counties are seniors Sarah Maley, Isabelle Fagen, and Catherine Tasnady, sophomores Delia Rush and Ashley Ye, freshman Corrine Hall, and eighth graders Molly McLoughlin and Annabelle Corcoran.
Winning has not been an issue thus far for the team as they stand alone in first place, undefeated. Many of the swimmers are in middle school. However, age is not a gauge of skill.
“When we are swimming age doesn’t matter. We act as one unit, one family. Since some of the younger ones are faster than the older, it allows the older kids to have more respect for the younger ones,” said Fagen.
Rush has now been on the swimming and diving team for four years, and she feels that this year has been one of the best.
“Throughout this season it all feels as if the team has been truly unified, even more so than the other years. Our collective drive towards success was key for this season’s wins,” said Rush.
If the team continues its win streak, they are eligible to swim in the New York State Championships in Ithaca, New York later on in the year.
Much of the team’s success can be attributed to the senior leadership of the team. The older swimmers proved to be helpful in and out of the pool. Techniques and strategies have been transfered from upperclassmen to the lowerclassmen of the team throughout the course of the season.
“None of it would have been possible without our captains and other seniors. This year, our captains were exceptionally inclusive and involved with the entire team, especially with the younger girls. Because the seniors are such a key factor, it will probably be difficult to remain at this level in the future. However, a few of us have been on the team for awhile now, even since middle school,” said Rush.
Fagen believes that the leadership of the team will be retained by this year’s juniors next year.
“The juniors must take on the leadership role that the seniors have set. They need to be focused every practice and remember why they joined the team. Also, they must have personal motivation to be better and to carry that through to the rest of the team,” said Fagen.
Swim meets are scored by cumulative points, so every swimmer on the team matters. Every second contributes to the final score, which is why the girls work to improve their individual times every practice.
“Coach Lennon’s attitude is always positive and competitive, which influences all of us. He always pushes us in practice and in meets to swim our absolute best no matter what. His words of positivity are always encouraging,” said Rush.
The impact of Coach Lennon’s words and attitude sticks with the swimmers throughout practice and meets. After each meet, he gives the girls personal advice on how they can improve, and what they can change to get better.
“Our coach challenged us every practice in the pool. As he told us, after each lap we swim, we are either better or worse That mentality stuck in our head and every time we did any drill, or set we pushed ourselves to be better,” said Fagen.