12
“
SPORTS Tuesday, June 1, 2021 ECHO
Despite the unusual circumstances we have had a pretty successful season. Although we didn’t win Sections this year, I still feel good about what we were able to accomplish.
Ada Turman, junior
MEET THE ATHLETE Michael Broad, senior Track
How long have you been doing track? I have been running track in school since sixth grade and seriously outside of school since the summer after sixth grade.
Why did you decide to do track? I joined a club team for about a year when I was in like second grade and it was kind of fun. But then I quit it for a while and then I decided to do it in middle school, and I got really into it. It’s a really great way to keep me in shape, make friends, I love the atmosphere.
What races do you run? I run the 100m, 200m, 400m and any of those relays.
What is your favorite memory from track? My favorite memory from track is going to the U.S.A. Track and Field National Meet in the summer after eighth grade in Sacramento. That was super fun.
Photo Abigail Presthodlt Emerge: Seniors Bella Steward and Maya Lee pop out of the water during a dress rehearsal May 18. The synchronized swimming team competed in sections May 22.
How has it been being a captain this season? It’s been fantastic. It’s an opportunity I was kind of robbed of last year because of COVID. I’m really happy to finally have a leadership position in order to be able to teach the young guys some stuff, make sure the team is able to continue the culture when I’m gone. I just really like being at the forefront.
What has been the highlight of the season? I would say the highlight of the season so far is seeing how many people we got to turn out. Our turnout is still drastically less than it’s been in past years, but there was a much larger turnout than I would have expected this year. Especially a lot of young guys, so that really gives me hope that the team is still going to be able to continue as it’s been.
How are you feeling about running track in college? I’m feeling fantastic, I’m hoping to get much better in college. Some guys I know are going to schools close to me, so I’m still going to be able to see them, which will be good.
“So many people have improved so much this year that it’s actually sort of mindblowing to think back to the beginning of the season.”
Jessica Gust, synchro coach
Synchro heads to State Team places second in Sections Kate Schneider kateschneider@slpecho.com
A
fter a challenging season due to COVID-19, sophomore Rachel Katzovitz said the synchronized swim team worked its hardest and came together to support each other at Sections May 22. “Overall, it was really successful. Everyone had good swims, and we were just all there for each other as a team and encouraging each other,” Katzovitz said. “It was a really difficult year, but we worked really hard. I’m really proud of how everyone did.” According to coach Jessica Gust, having every swimmer on the team make it to State surpassed her highest expectations. “I think it went great. We had the best swims of the season for almost every routine — 16 of our 19 routines qualified through to State, which is
amazing. It’s the best outcome we could’ve imagined,” Gust said. Katzovitz said it was exciting seeing the newer swimmers perform so well. “Some of the highlights would definitely be our newer swimmers on the short team, because they had a lot going on this year with being in middle school and back in-person,” Katzovitz said. “Then with joining synchro and learning the sport, they were given a bunch of small routines and a difficult team routine and they pulled it off and placed really well.” With this season being the first for so many on the team, Gust said the progress they made was astonishing. “So many people have improved so much this year that it’s actually sort of mindblowing to think back to the beginning of the season and where people were at, especially our brand new kids,” Gust said. “We had one girl, who was brand new at the beginning of the season, take
second place in her short solo and qualified to go to State. So it’s really exciting to see the amount of improvement that everyone’s had.” Freshman Lucy Hammerstrand said she was looking forward to State after how well the team did at sections. “It feels great, getting all of our swimmers to qualify so they can have that experience,” Hammerstrand said. “I’m excited to watch all the routines and see how much they improved from when they first started.” Gust said before heading into State, she wants to make the routines as close to perfect as possible, so the swimmers can reach their full potential at the last meet of the season. “I think one of the things we’ll take a look at is where do we have a little room left to improve before we head into State and for each routine that’s going to be slightly different,” Gust said. “That’s a conversation we’ll have at practice to see how much more we can leverage each routine to get the best performance we can at State.
DESIGN BY Jordyn Deschamps & Emmy Pearson
