Ridgewood Swim has started off on a great note this season. Now that their season is in full swing, the swimmers are looking to improve their times in the pool. On Friday, December 11, both the boys and girls teams defeated Paramus High School, making the boys 2-0 so far. This was the girls’ first meet of the season, establishing a positive tone for the rest of the year. Their next meet was scheduled for December 18 at the Ridgewood YMCA Pool against Northern Highlands, but it was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict at the YMCA. This meet was predicted to be a challenging one, as Northern Highlands has proven themselves to be one of Ridgewood’s most competitive rivals in past years. Now that the meet must be rescheduled, the team has more time to prepare and improve before facing off against these tough competitors.
Several outstanding underclassmen have earned spots on the varsity team this season. Nick Gagan and Jack Neilson, sophomores, demonstrated their ability to compete in their first two meets. Jack is most adept at the butterfly and Nick excels in freestyle races. For the girls team, sophomores Michelle Cheng and Beatrice Davis have also become important assets to the varsity team. Additionally, junior Jessica Chau has been a key member to the team. Two seniors that have been performing exceptionally this season include Sam Constant and captain Eric Bragg. These swimmers have been setting examples for their teammates both in and out of the water, along with captains Matt Elliott, Caroline Kotch, and Erin Gioia.
The team has also benefitted from the change in their practice location this year. Priyanka Narayan, a senior, explains, “Practicing at the YMCA is a lot better than practicing at PCTI, because it took forever to get there.” She also noted that the new coach, Ms. Schmidt, has been a great fit and an easy transition for the team. Priyanka adds that her personal goal for this season is to, “Have a fun season and improve during my last year swimming at Ridgewood High School.”
Coming up, Ridgewood swim will compete against teams such as Indian Hills, Northern Highlands, and Ramapo. Particularly on January 5, the swimmers team will travel to Hackensack High School to compete. This meet will be a close competition, but Ridgewood hopes to obtain this key victory. This 2015-2016 season, the swimmers look forward to improving their skills, developing better stamina in the pool, and creating stronger relationships amongst teammates.
Having gotten off to a great start at the beginning of December, the team is ready to continue this pattern at upcoming meets.
Megan Collier
sports editor