Eat, Swim, and Dive

Jennifer Verstraete, Flash Reporter

Girls varsity swim and dive team is a tight knit group of girls who swim competitively and work hard academically. These girls swim from August to December with two meets a week.

“Our team is cool, we have one big group. At home meets, when the National Anthem comes on, we all stand up and lock pinkies or arms and cheer each other on,” said Molly Baerman, sophomore on girls varsity swim.

Swimming for high school is very challenging while trying to balance school, swim, and other academics.

“Swimming can be stressful because it is a lot of hard work and some of us have a lot of advanced classes on top of long meets,” said Kylie Ferguson, sophomore on girls varsity swim.

The girls swim for long hours as well as workout to keep up with the meets.

“We swim from three to five thirty, six days a week, and meets one to two times a week,” said Baerman.

For Amanda Hurchalla, junior on the dive team, she prepares for a meet by training harder and trusting herself. Her mother got her into swim and dive.

“I am a competitive level 9 gymnast so my mom thought if I’m good at gymnastics why not try it in the water. So I took her advice and tried it, I’m glad I did it,” Hurchalla said.

The girls swim season went very well according to Dave Nowinski, coach of Fraser High School’s girls and boys varsity swim and dive.

“I thought this season we could move up second best in dual team meet and we accomplished that goal. We came in close by two points and beat L’anse Creuse, then we moved up two spots from sixth to fourth in the league meet and and went from twelfth to tenth in the county meet,” Nowinski said.

Nowinski has been swimming since he was a child at a swim club across from his house in Fraser.

“Dave and Bob are pretty cool, they have the same goals and views for the team. They joke around and have fun, but push us to show us we can do it,” Baerman said.

Molly Baerman is not only on girls varsity swim but is on another swim team outside of school called the Lakers. She also is in accelerated classes and is a part of the Butcher program. It is called Macomb Mathematics Science Technology Center (MMSTC). The building itself is called Butcher.

“During high school swim season it’s easier to balance swim and school because practice is after school then I can come home and do homework and relax then club swim doesn’t start until later in the evening,” Baerman said.

She has been swimming since 2012 and has achieved many of her own goals.

“I work for it, I had a tough year and swim helped me get my feet right. I got a varsity letter and dropped time on all of my events,” Baerman said.

Both boys and girls swim are always looking for more people to join.

“We are always looking for more swimmers. We take anyone, if you come from another sport we will take you. Consider us,” Nowinski said.