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Girls Swim Team Opens Season
School may have been canceled early this week due to winter weather, but the newly established Grain Valley High School Girl’s Swim Team made it to the Blue Springs YMCA to continue their third week of practice in preparation for their first meet.
Head Coach Kara Liddle, coming off a successful first season this fall with the Boy’s Swim and Dive team, said the girls bring a different dynamic to their team.
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“The Girl’s team is quite a bit larger than this year’s Boy’s team, and there is a lot of excitement and energy with the team. We have a few girls with a lot of experience with local clubs, and many who are new to swimming. I have been so proud of how far they have come in just a few short weeks,” Liddle said.
Thirty-five girls are participating on the team in its inaugural year, and Liddle said there is a good mix in terms of experience and age level.
“We have three seniors joining us this season, which is great to see them trying something new in their final year of high school. The more experienced swimmers have been great at mentoring our less experienced girls, and parents have really stepped up to support the team as well,” Liddle said.
Junior Rachel Turpin comes to the newly established team with 6 years of experience swimming with local clubs.
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to swim for my school. It was something I didn’t know I’d have the opportunity to do, and I’m really glad we have this opportunity,” Turpin said.
While the thought of 5:00am practices may not appeal to some, Turpin loves the opportunity to start her school day in the pool.
“Swimming is not like any other sport. I love the feeling of getting in the water at morning practice. It’s a really good release and a great way to focus before heading to school,” Turpin said.
Turpin plans to compete in 200- meter Individual Medley (IM) and 100 yard backstroke.
The Girl’s team heads to Blue Springs Saturday, December 1st for their first meet.
“Swimming is not like any other sport. I love the feeling of getting in the water at morning practice. It’s a really good release and a great way to focus before heading to school.” - Rachel Turpin, Junior
