Male Swim 2021
Sports have looked different this year, but that is not stopping the Male swim team. This season, swimmers and coaches are working as hard as ever. The team is overcoming challenges and constantly finding new ways to succeed this season.
The athletes involved with swimming at Male enjoy being in the pool and the benefits that come with it. Senior Gabby Butler says she enjoys “being with my friends and making more memories.” Senior Ashley Bennett says she loves Male swim because “you can have fun while getting fit.” Male athletes have many fond memories from this year and years past. Junior Nate Rogers says his favorite memory was “going to Waffle House my Freshman year after regionals.” With a month left in their season, the Male swimmers are looking forward to making more fond memories during this season’s regional and state meets.
With all the fun comes hard work and dedication. Head Swim Coach, Marvin Lazaro, has been coaching Male’s swim team for seven years. He instills in his swimmers that “a lot of things in the world can be accomplished through hard work.” The swim team practices four times each week with meets scheduled on Sundays. Male swimmers transfer this message of hard work into efforts to knock seconds off their personal best records. Even decreasing one second of a swim event is a huge accomplishment. Senior Sam Lucas, who joined Male’s swim team his Junior year says that, “Male swim accepts everyone even if you are clueless on how to swim correctly… it is possible to become a good swimmer in a short period of time.” Lucas’ dedication and effort earned him the 2020 Most Improved Athlete award his Junior year. As Coach Marvin teaches, “if you work hard enough and put enough effort into it then you can do it!” That's exactly what Male swimmers have done and are continuing to do this season.
The Male swim community is like no other. This team is a family, and they welcome new members into their family all the time. Rogers also adds, “I want everyone to know how fun the team is and how nice everyone is to each other.” After years of competitive swim, Senior Olivia Beard joined the Male swim team this year to try something new, meet new people, and enjoy staying in shape. She did exactly that. According to Beard, “Joining Male’s swim team has been a great opportunity to stay connected to my school community, develop friendships, and get exercise after long days in NTI.”
While many people think that swim is an individual sport, it is definitely a team sport. Each individual’s time and effort combines to make the team one strong unit. Under the direction of Coach Marvin and Assistant Coach Johanna, the Male swim season continues through April. We wish our swimmers the best of luck in the regional and state meets.
