Freedom Area High School's Student Newspaper

FHS Press

Freedom Area High School's Student Newspaper

FHS Press

Freedom Area High School's Student Newspaper

FHS Press

Swim team hopes for a winning season

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Green, milky, and opaque water does not sound enticing, especially when you are forced to swim in it. “You could’ve had someone jump into the pool and you wouldn’t be able to see them,” former swimmer Senior Matt McKinney said referring to the pool’s condition last year. “Everything was broken,” Junior Stephanie Stewart said. There was a scare for a couple of days this year that the heater was broken because of the freezing cold water. According to swim coach Bill Layton “It’s doing A-okay.” “Sometimes it was freezing and one day it was hot,” Kubica said. For Freedom’s 2010-2011 swim team, these dilemmas are just obstacles to overcome. The swim team underwent a few changes this year. First, the pool is in top shape; the water is just a wee bit colder than usual. “The pool right now is beautiful. We haven’t had any problems with it since March; hopefully it stays that way,” Senior Cole Leonberg said. They also have acquired two new coaches, Mike Kozlina and Bill Layton. Coach Layton previously worked at the Rosie Synder YMCA as an active head lifeguard and swimming instructor. “I’ve been in the water swimming competitively since 1968,” Layton said. Since their first practice, everyone has connected with the coaches and has a pretty good outlook for the upcoming season. The coaches provided one motto for this year’s swim team: believe. “The whole team is very pumped…and I think we’ll be able to make it to MAC’s and WPIAL’s,” Sophomore Avery Creegan said. This year’s swim team consists of roughly 16 students so far, two of which are freshman. During conditioning, the new members have “shown up and tried their best.” Newcomer Tippin Harkins, a sophomore, is looking forward to the upcoming season. “I just hope to keep up with everyone else my first year,” Harkins said. “It’s intense, but people help you out and encourage you.” Winning is not something the swim team is used to with a losing record for the past several years, but with all these new changes they are hoping to break that cycle. Their first meet is at home on Nov. 29. Come out and support your swim team this season, because Coach Layton’s goal is to “bring a championship to this school.”