Being a freshman in high school can be nerve wracking, especially when you are on a new team and coming into a brand new school. For freshman Alex Capizzo, he is a competitive swimmer on his first high school team. In addition to all of those nerves and this being his first year, he is rewriting the record books at the beginning of what hopes to be a four year career. 

Alex has been swimming for a long time. He has been swimming competitively since he was six-years-old. He mostly swam on travel teams prior to this year. Little did he know that on his fourth meet, just after Christmas break , he would smash current science teacher, coach of the varsity girls swim team and assistant boys swim coach , and former Rambler swimmer Dave Nowinski’s 500 yard freestyle swim by seventeen seconds.

   As Alex broke a school record that had stood since 1979.  This record breaking swim called for some recondition. Most people who see their records being broken are mad or upset but coach Nowinski took it differently.

  “ He was actually pretty happy, he told me that he wanted someone to come up and beat it and he has been waiting a long time,” Alex said. 

   To break a record like has to be a thrill at such a young stage in a career, “ I felt happy before I was nervous I was thinking I might mess up,” Alex said on breaking his record.

   Then on the last home meet of the season against Chippewa Valley,  Alex broke the record for the 100 yard breaststroke by swimming a time of one minute and two seconds. The old record was one minute and three seconds, so that adds another record breaking performance to a pile of records that’s already so high .

Swimmers have to eat properly in order to keep their bodies in full function. At the high school level most swimmers don’t usually have a particular strict diet until they get to college or higher  levels. As for Alex he isn’t on a diet.

“ I should be on one, but I haven’t been on one since I was twelve,” Alex said.

When any athlete breaks a record in any sport they are always excited and feel so proud that they are in the record books forever and they know they are at the top of their game. As for Alex, he has broken so many records this one might think that he must be used to it so it’s not a big deal to him and with him being in his first year it’s in the middle for him. 

  “ I have to say it’s a little in between, but every time I break one I get really excited,” Alex said on his reactions to breaking records.

   Being a freshman in high school may be scary and uncomfortable and students may not know how to find their way. For Alex Capizzo, he has already found his way in the pool and on the record board in his freshman year and hopefully for years to come.