T
he swim team is a sports team full of strong athletes and even stronger bonds, and their atmosphere has had decades to take the shape it has today. The swim team originally swam at the old YMCA’s four-lane pool. In 1979, after the community pool was built next to South Albany High School, the team switched over to the new pool. Alongside the long life of the swim team, their coaches, Babette Romancier, Bailey Dickerson, and Athena Lawson, may have lasted longer than any other coach at West. Romancier, almost strictly referred to as “Babs” by her athletes, has been coaching the team for the past 16 years. This will be the 16th and final year Romancier coaches the swim team, as she intends to retire at the end of the season. But from Romancier’s retirement, Bailey Dickerson will take over as head coach starting next year. Dickerson has been helping coach the swim team for three years and is a graduate from West Albany who swam all four years. From the position of a spectator, swimming is fairly
uncomplicated, but the simplicity of racing does not un- have to watch them and pick apart little details.” “Their [practices] sometimes really terrible and really dermine how exciting it can be to watch. Sometimes first place at a state meet can be determined by a thousandth bad, but we just get through it together. Like, there’s one set that we do that is four or five thousand yards of just of a second. “At state my sophomore year, I got second place by straight butterfly stroke,” junior Alice Whiteside said. “Kids will come back [after they 0.02 seconds… It’s very frustrating. I had graduate] and say, ‘Thank you. I feel like been ahead, but he barely finished before you really cared,’” Romancier said. The me,” senior Luke Milburn said. swim team has a powerful atmosphere There are eight individual events, then full of support. “I hope that swimmers three relays that each swimmer can par“IT’S A LOT OF FINE leave the program better than when they ticipate in. At every meet, each swimmer TUNING... YOU HAVE TO started… not as swimmers, but as a betWATCH THEM AND PICK is allowed a maximum of two events: two APART LITTLE DETAILS.” ter person, a better teammate, a better individual events, or one individual and perspective of themselves, or even conone relay. fidence.” Each event requires hours of practice Swimming is a hard sport that can and dedication to reach a competitive level, with barriers in the way of consistent progress. “We be very grueling at times. However, the teammates and swim for two hours straight, and if they can’t continue coaches of the swim team strive to create a strong space swimming that entire time, they can’t get the technique that works for each other to better themselves as a whole.
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work,” Dickerson said. “It’s a lot of fine tuning… You
The Swim Team Rundown
LONG-TIME COACH DESCRIBES HOW SUPPORTIVE ATMOSPHERE WAS DEVELOPED By Joe Wagner
Sophomore Conner Dickerson swims at the South Albany vs West Albany Duel on Jan. 4.
Sophomore Ella Winter swims at the South Albany vs. West Albany Duel on Jan. 4.
THE WHIRLWIND
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Photos By Lucy Rouse
