Girls Swim/ Dive
The Green High School girls swim team is ready to take on the upcoming season. The team is led by coaches Mike Lazor, Erin Miller, Mike Griggs, and captains Olivia Scheibelhoffer and Sydney Peterson. In addition to sending five girls to states, the team broke all but two school records. The girls practice two hours everyday after school at Akron General, accompanied by 5:30-6:30 morning practices Tuesdays and Fridays, while also lifting at 7:30 Wednesday and Saturday mornings. This training will not only help the girls excel as a team, but also accomplish their own personal goals.
“My personal goals for this year are to qualify for the state meet individually again and be top 24. I am also hoping to break the 200 free record, and re-break my 500 record” Laina Swartzwelder ‘25 said.
The McKinley Relays Invitational was the team’s first meet. It took place Nov. 29 and included all the Federal League swim teams plus Massillon. With only having nine girls this year, five of which are seniors, the team is starting off the season strong and recently took first place at the Dover Invitational.
A part of Green High School’s swim team is their diving program, consisting of Landry Torres who is currently a senior. Torres has been diving since her freshman year when she was convinced to join the team because of her dance background. After dance practice, Torres attends diving which is usually Monday-Thursday after school. All divers in the Federal League train together under one coach at the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Mckinley, which is also where most of their meets are held. Not only has Torres become close friends with her diving teammate, but she has also made some funny memories along the way.
“I didn’t know that when you smack in diving it’s normal to clap and cheer. I was confused and thought I had done something really good,” Landry Torres 24’ said.
Last season, Torres took fifth in the district competition out of around 40 girls, which qualified her for states. There she was .1 points away from placing 16th and receiving an All Ohio award. While Torres is sad to know her diving career will soon come to an end, she is happy to be able to look back at all the fun memories and see how far she’s come since her freshman year.
Boys Swim
The boys swim team, lead by coaches Lazor, Miller and Lazor, officially started their season in late October and is set to continue through February. The team has a busy schedule with practices everyday after school and twice a week before school. They also have a team lift twice a week before school. Both the girls and boys teams compete at local schools and YMCA pools. They generally compete on Fridays, but have some meets scattered throughout their schedule.
“The swim team has a lot of great people, and they make the demanding practices worth it. I get to hang out with some of my best friends, eat lots of good food at team dinners, and enjoy some memorable experiences like singing karaoke in a Chipotle or crushing some Just Dance,” Aiden Byers ’24 said.
A practice for the swimmers of GHS consists of multiple workouts that are designed to get their heart rate up. They usually start with a warm up, and then transition to different workouts that will target different muscle groups. This is followed by breaking off into groups specified to different types of swimming strokes. They also practice swimming sprints and distance swims depending on the practice and focus. Swimming is, without a doubt, a very physically demanding sport. The athletes are extremely dedicated to their practice and meet schedule and will continue the hard work over the upcoming holiday break.
“If you ever see a swimmer looking like they are about to fall asleep, please give them a break. They have been up since 4:50 am.” Byers ‘24 said.
Swimming takes a toll, like many other sports, on athletes mentally and physically. The relentless hard work from the swimmers at GHS has not gone unnoticed. The teams are setting themselves up for success, and are hopeful to go all the way.
