The New Swim Team

By Tave Fitzpatrick

Senior Editor

t's kinda like getting a turbocharger. Being one of eight swimmers who still have memories of Trinity's 'old' swim team I can confidently say that today's team is performing like an old engine with a new turbocharger slapped on top. Records are being broken, teammates are increasing, and recognition is slowly seeping its way outside the tightly-knit friends and family of the team onto the campus. What, or in this case who, is at the root of all this added power? A woman by the name of Amy Williams.

When I was a freshman I joined a strong team with a good solid backbone of swimmers. It was a small team, but there just wasn't enough meat on those bones, no real depth. I was one of eight freshman swimmers that year, and we constituted about one-third of the team. It was a great season. Our coach, Chet McFee, was a wonderful combination of dedication and easy going-ness. Practices were light for the most part, everyone swam till their heart's content and enjoyed it. Our record for the season was not entirely stellar though. The next year would prove to be very different. Chet retired and his position as head swim coach was replaced by almost his antithesis; a young, female, petite, blonde-haired graduate of Kenyon college. I remember coming back to school at the beginning of the year and finding a thick packet of swimming stats. And a suggested workout schedule until practices started later on in the semester. First of all, working out? Specifically for swimming? Right. Second of all the whole concept of captains' practices was new to me, I mean what the hell was the difference? Soon the time came however, and, after blowing off several 'captains' practices', I moseyed on down to the pool for the first day of practice. The next two weeks were a blur, people were dropping off the team like flies and I found myself swimming for a full two hours every day. When the dust settled what was left was a restructured 'turbocharged' backbone. The building blocks for a new era in Trinity swimming.

That season I swam harder and faster and longer than I ever had before. To say that I liked it would be complete b.s. I did, however, find myself swimming faster and faster each meet and that's what I did enjoy. It gave me a real sense of accomplishment to see everyone working so hard and having it payoff every week-end. The schools that used to clobber us started not to clobber us so badly. The next year was much the same, only turned up a notch. We started recruiting swimmers, planning special events, and raising fund money for a Christmas training trip. The changes and innovations that were made reflected those of a truly strong varsity team, one that is now strong and still growing. This season's batch of freshmen swimmers reminded me much of my first year at Trinity. They are strong and dominating. Record-setting performances displayed by Freshmen have become commonplace. These Freshmen have now earned the honor of swimming in the same speed lanes as some of the seniors. The results of all the preparations are finally coming together. A new, wickedly improved, swimming team is cutting through the water down at Ferris, a team that has the potential to become a turbocharged contender in the New England school division.