The girls Swim team had their first practice on Nov. 15. This was the first practice in FHN history that the girls Swim team has not had any seniors present. The team consists of 14 juniors, seven sophomores and six freshmen for a total of 27 members, but no seniors.  According to FHN Swim coach of ten years, William Crow, the team’s performance will not be affected by the lack of seniors because the leadership came from the underclassmen last year.

“We have some swimmers that have been in the program for years and they know what is expected of them,” Crow said.
Crow also believes that the team is better off right now than the team was last year. There is variety among the experience of the swimmers on the team. There are some girls on the team who are beginners, and there are also some who swim competitively outside of school as well. The team may be divided in levels of experience, but the new members are open to learning new skills and are learning them very quickly according to sophomore Alexis Christo.
“[The seniors] were really fun to have around last year, they contributed to our fast times,” Christo said. “But we’re a pretty strong team right now, especially with the new girls.”
Many of the juniors will be stepping in to fill the void left by the seniors as role models. Junior Susanna McFarland has been on FHN’s Swim team for two years now and is excited to be stepping forward as a leader.
“[The juniors] have the most people on the team, and since we’re the oldest it happens naturally,” McFarland said. “We don’t necessarily have the top swimmers, but the seniority comes into play.”

by Elizabeth Diggs