This has been a great season for Tracy High girls’ swim  as they  proceeded into the Tri-City Athletic League (TCAL) championship with a record of 1-2, after two close losses to St.Mary’s and Lodi High School and a victory over Tokay High School. Yet the girls ended their season in victory as they placed third in the TCAL championships on April 29 and 30, at Tokay High School. This meet not only brought Tracy High pride, but also brought tremendous pride to all swimmers.

“One of the biggest meets that the entire team went to was championships. All of the swimmers swam amazing,” Shannon Daviscourt, senior, said.  “I was grateful to be able to watch my teammates get their best times and walk off the pool deck proud of themselves.”

“This experience has changed me because it has made me become a more dedicated individual both in and outside of the pool. The sport teaches you a lot about commitment, hard work, and team work,” Julia Vares, senior, said.

Despite the final placing, many more goals have been achieved by this team.

“For the swimmers that have been swimming for longer, their goal tends to be more focused on qualifying for sections, which they have done. Team goal is to create a healthy and passionate environment for athletes to grow physically and mentally,” Vares said. “We aim to cheer each other on, work our best at meets, and if we place it’s the icing on top, so ,overall, we’ve achieved a numerable amount of goals as a team.”

Yet most athletes agree that these results would not have been seen if it were not for the vigorous practices.

“Practices are two hours and the workouts are written on a white board. Each day is the same warm up and the work outs range from distance work to sprint work,” Vares said.  “This has helped build our endurance and prepared us for all different races.”

“Practices were difficult at times, depending on the workouts, but were ultimately beneficial when trying to beat personal goal times,” Daviscourt said. “The vigorous practices, as much as I hated them, were the best because they built endurance and speed.”

There is no denying that this experience has changed these girls’ lives.

“Through my four years of swimming on the Tracy high swim team I have not regretted one moment of it. I met some amazing lifelong friends, and when the practices were at their most difficult it taught me how to work even harder when my mind tells me to give up,” Daviscourt said. “It helped me build the strength mentally and physically to break through the wall of defeat. I think the most important lesson I have learned from these last four years is to never give up on your goals because if you set your mind and heart to it you will be able to accomplish any goal.”

As this season comes to an end Coach Verwijst is already looking forward to next season.

“I’m looking forward to growing the program, we have a lot of younger swimmers with a ton of potential,” Coach Verwijst said.