Several members of the swim and dive team have qualified for state.

Senior Daniel Maynard qualified for state in the 200m free style and the 100m breast stroke at a dual meet against Platte County High School and Park Hill South. Maynard also qualified for the 100 freestyle at a meet against St. Joe Central. In the 100 backstroke, sophomore Jason Schlaud qualified for state competition in the 100 backstroke at the dual meet.

The team also includes a four-person, 200m-medley relay team, comprised of Schlaud, junior Collin Duffy, Maynard and senior John Pittala.

“It’s been great. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys,” said Pittala.

Duffy said he is glad to have some people on the team who will be around next year.

“There are some younger guys on the relay, too,” said Duffy. “It’s going to be a good year, for sure.”

In addition to afternoon practices, the swim team meets before school for extra practices.

“If you’re there, everyone respects you because you’re swimming and working just as hard as everybody else,” said Pittala.

Showing up to practice even when it’s difficult earns the boys on the team lots of respect from fellow teammates, according to Pittala.

“Morning practices are amazing. It gives me motive to get up at 5 o’clock in the morning, and I’m seeing a lot of improvement in times, especially in sprints,” said Pittala.

With state competition coming up in November, the team will be changing their strategy at practice in order to prepare for the larger competition. “Tapering” is the nickname that the swimmers have assigned to the practice of cutting down the distances at practice before important competitions in order to build up energy.

“We usually go around five or six kilometers, so on taper, we go around three and a half to four,” said Pittala.

The work that the relay team has been putting in could be one of the main reasons that they are now state qualifiers.

“I think we can get top eight, in one of our relays for sure,” said Schlaud. “I’m not quite sure where we’ll get in there, because you just don’t know how the competition’s going to do this year.”

Duffy also gave an opinion on the outcome at state for the relay team.

“I don’t know if it will be exactly the same,” said Duffy. “Last year our relay won state.”

Everyone on the team has to put in work at meets and practices to help the entire team be successful and to create a sense of unity and team. The boys on the team also have meals together outside of practices and meets, so they get to know each other in environments other than the locker room and the pool.

“It’s really fun to get together with them,” said Schlaud, who also competed at state last year. “It’s fun when you make the time with your friends.”

Pittala and Schlaud both said that the team is very close and often spends time together outside of practice.

“I’m not sure how to describe it,” said Pittala. “We all just get along. We all joke with each other and support each other.”

Through all of the hard work, early mornings and long nights, the swim and dive team finds a way to be successful together and to appreciate the work that each person has put into developing each skill.