Co-op swim team sees host of new faces

Despite having several seniors from last year’s team graduate, the 2022 Abby/Colby swim team actually grew from 10 members to 13 members. This is mostly due to six freshmen additions to the squad, though the team has seen new members come from each class. The experience levels among the swimmers varies greatly, as some like senior Hailey Meyer, have swam with the varsity team before, whereas others are still focusing on the basics.

Returning from last year’s team and joining Meyer in what will likely be the core of the team are Olivia Krause and Chloe Cihlar. Head coach Monica Tesmer also sees incoming freshmen Brezlyn Boyer, Jordan Jakel, Madisyn Schraufnagel and Hazel Flink as others who will likely take spots on teams for relay events.

One of the challenges that head coach Monica Tesmer sees heading into the season is finding a balance between skill levels so that everyone on the team can be successful and grow as the season progresses. While some swimmers are fairly seasoned, there are others that will be swimming for the first time this fall.

“On one hand, we have to try to get some comfortable with swimming in the deep end, but we would really like them to compete in a meet,” Tesmer said, “And we have to get them to that point while also on the other hand challenging the other girls that need to be swimming four to five thousand yards a night. That’s a wide range of competitive swimming.”

Striking that balance will certainly be key to finding success, though the team’s mentality thus far is certainly helping in that regard.

“The team bonding that I’ve seen so far this year has been phenomenal,” Tesmer stated. “With these new kids coming in and learning, the other girls are cheering them on, whether it’s on the track or in the pool, to finish sets and to do well. They want to do well themselves, but also as a team.”

There are times in the past that this hasn’t been the mentality. But the coaching staff is pleased to see that so far, the individual members have recognized the importance of the team as a whole.

This will be especially important when trying to field events during meets. Given the relatively small size of the team and the number of inexperienced swimmers, some members of the team may have to swim in events that they have not done before, and having the right mindset and expectations going into the season will be necessary to find success.

While the process of discovering the event lineup has already begun, the most productive work starts at the pentathlon that the Abby/Colby swim team hosts every year at the beginning of the swim season. It is during this event, where all swimmers take part in every event, that coaches can start to piece together the strengths of their swimmers. Once that has been taken into account, their strategy for meets can start to take shape.

Looking ahead to the season, Tesmer believes that the team will see some good showings in individual events, but the lack of numbers will make it difficult to compete in some meets.

“We’re going to have some strong individual events,” Tesmer said, “and it’s going to be fun to watch them grow as a team. I might not be able to put my top swimmers in the 50-freestyle all year, as we may need them in other events to get points to compete as a team, but I’m excited to see how they grow.”

In addition to the teamwork Tesmer hopes to continue to foster, she has been happy with the overall work that her swimmers have put forth, both in practice thus far and over the summer.

“When it comes to work ethic and endurance right now, compared to past years, we are a week ahead,” Tesmer said. “I attribute that to the group of girls that worked out this summer, swam club, and did the other endurance stuff or were in the pool all summer long, so that they start out at that level up, whereas some years you don’t have that.”

“Small team, yes. But they are working so hard,” Tesmer added. “They are probably working at the same caliber as the teams from 2008, 2009, 2010 when we had a lot of girls going to state. And those were years that I also had 27, 28 swimmers on the team. So I’m seeing that same work ethic and team camaraderie, and it makes it fun to coach.”

The team started with an invitational at Marshfield on Tuesday evening and will be hosting the pentathlon at Colby on Wednesday, August 24. Looking ahead, their next meet will be Thursday, September 1 at Lakeland, with a start time of 5:30 p.m.