Taking a dip into this school’s Swim and Dive team leaves athletes excited for this year’s competitions. Plunge into school spirit by joining or attending aquatic competitions!
Coaches Angela Orchard, Kara Dellisanti-Jordahl, and Erik Pederson held an informational meeting for both new and returning swimmers on Aug. 6, and tryouts took place on Aug. 11 after school.
Swim focuses on speed, endurance, and efficiency, while Dive focuses on precision, strength, body control, and technique. Together, they work to improve body formation, position, and navigation in water. Swim teams and dive teams often have separate coaches, practice facilities, schedules, and different meet days, according to Peak Student Media. For this school’s team, swimmers and divers are combined into one team and compete simultaneously with varying scoring systems. Swimmers race against fellow athletes, and divers perform independently with specific stunts scored based on the accuracy of their form, according to Dellisanti-Jordahl.
Swim and Dive is a no-cut team because there is no limit to the number of athletes. “I can have as many people as I want,” Pederson said at the informational meeting. Players are only cut from the team if they do not have a cleared physical, consistently cause issues with instructors or other team members, refuse to attend practice, or repeatedly are late to practice. Instructors have stated that they will help any student who is passionate about joining the team, provided they follow the team’s guidelines and regulations. Practice requires bringing a swimsuit, goggles, and bottled water. Pederson has extra caps, and new, unique bathing suits will be distributed to the team once all information is collected. Practices are from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Cortez Park Pool, and how students get there is up to them: being dropped off by a parent, friend, guardian, driving themselves, or taking the team bus, which leaves strictly at 3:31 p.m..
For those interested in joining, a cleared physical and completion of all necessary athletic information on Aktivate are required. For a physical examination, students should schedule an appointment with their doctor, who will provide the required paperwork needed to complete. Aktivate is easily accessible on this school’s Chromebooks by clicking the homepage button, located next to the house icon to the left of the search bar. From there, students will find “Aktivate,” a website used by this school for fall, winter, and spring sports. For former athletes, please sign in. New members must create an account, watch the assigned videos, and submit the required paperwork online, as it is not accepted in person. If a student does not meet the requirements for Aktivate or their physical, the coaches will not allow them to attend practices.
