The Independence Swim Team took the win at Regionals for the second year in a row and placed second at States. This season the swim team not only had to battle their competitors, but they also had to go up against COVID-19.

“It’s great to be back together with everyone. I was a bit nervous we wouldn’t have a season, but we’re thrilled at the opportunity to compete this year,” said junior Tatum Wall. Competing during a pandemic has not been easy for the team. Many changes have been made — some positive and some challenging.

At meets, all swimmers have to stay six feet apart and have to wear masks any time they are not in the pool. In order to keep the team safe during the season, practices are split up; boys practice on Tuesdays and girls practice on Fridays. During meets, the whole team competes together, but at Regionals and States they were split up. “It makes a big difference when you don’t have your whole team cheering, but we try to be as loud as we can,” sophomore Alden Zerkle said.

On a positive note, sophomore Kylie Boyle explained, “One major difference between this season and last season is we have a full team. Last season we didn’t have seniors. Another new thing we do is have themes for our meets… it gets everyone excited for the meets.”

Even with the many changes made, the positive atmosphere during meets and practices has remained. “There’s a ton of energy from the team at meets. We’ve been told that our cheer at the beginning is super intense. We love cheering for everyone, especially relays and it definitely leads to faster swims,” Wall exclaimed. Though the season has been hard, the swimmers continue to keep their spirits high.

Their hard work and dedication led to second place at States. “We are so excited to be the runners up, especially since it’s only our second year as a team. I was nervous about what place we were going to get, but the team crushed it,” sophomore Kylie Boyle said. This season has come to an end, and the swimmers can’t wait to be back in the pool again next season.