ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
The Lynn Classical swim team warms up before its meet with English last Thursday evening.
By KATIE MORRISON
Swimming is a unique sport in high school. In Lynn, it’s even more unique. There aren’t many sports that showcase the kind of camaraderie and mutual support that is so evident in the world of swimming in Lynn.
That was the case at Lynn Tech last Thursday as the Classical and English swim teams clashed for the first time this season. The Rams came away with the 99-82 win, but after everyone was out of the water, neither team was disappointed with its performance.
There’s such an inclusive atmosphere at these swim meets, its unlike anything else. Everybody cheers on their teammates as they fight for points, but in the end, both the Rams and Bulldogs will be there to encourage the last swimmer in every race. It’s not all about winning. It’s about finishing.
One sentiment I heard from both coaches (Denise Silva from Classical, Lisa Trahant from English) after Thursday’s meet was how impressed they were with the flexibility of their swimmers and their willingness to step up and take on new challenges. Both teams were without some key swimmers, as illnesses and prior commitments left the Rams and Bulldogs scrambling to fill the races.
But neither coach had much trouble finding willing volunteers to step out of their comfort zone. Each team had multiple swimmers compete in certain races that they never had before, which has got to be a little nerve-wracking, especially against your rival.
I think in every sport, there’s a mutual respect between Classical and English like there is between most rivals. But rarely is that respect so obvious and exemplified than it is in swimming. While the meets are always competitive and both teams want to win, there’s an overarching theme of camaraderie amongst the swimmers, coaches and fans. I guess that’s what happens when there are no benches, no separation between the teams; all of the Rams and Bulldogs are crowded at the end of the pool, ready to shout words of encouragement as their teammates reach the wall and flip around.
But the reason for the camaraderie goes deeper than that. Of course, there’s the fact that, like in other sports, many of the athletes are friendly outside of the pool.
“It’s always great to swim against Classical because a lot of them are friends,” Trahant said. “They see each other all the time and to see the two teams come together…it’s fun. You like coming to the Classical meet.”
But there’s more to it. The swimming community in Lynn is a big family. Silva says that it all started with Peter Sawin, the former Lynn swim coach that the natatorium at Tech is named after. Tech coach Brad Tilley coached alongside Sawin. Silva swam under Sawin and Tilley, and Trahant swam under Silva in high school.
“Swimming in general in Lynn is extremely unique because we have such camaraderie,” Silva said. “We’re all one huge family. Everybody roots and cheers for everybody. It’s very competitive in the water, don’t get me wrong, but I would do anything for any of (English’s or Tech’s) student-athletes and I’m comfortable saying they (from the other programs) would do anything for mine. You’d be hard-pressed to find that in any other sport.”
Thursday’s meet was just a small preview of the main event, the Lynn City Swim Meet, when Tech joins the fold. The city meet is unlike any sporting event I’d been to when I went for the first time last year; there’s so much energy and excitement in the natatorium, it’s infectious. It should be a good time when the three teams get together in February.
— The St. Mary’s girls basketball team’s win over Fenwick Friday was a big one, and shows how far the Spartans have come since the beginning of the season.
A big part of the win was the emergence of Gaby Torres. Early in the season, it seemed like St. Mary’s lacked a truly consistent outside shooter. Temi Falayi and Olivia Nazaire, their two biggest scoring threats, are excellent in the post and thrive in the paint. Mia Nowicki is a three-point threat, but the Spartans really needed another outside shooter to step up.
Enter Torres. The freshman has either started or seen significant playing time in every game this season as far as I can tell, but she really came alive Friday, putting up 14 points in the second half. She’s the threat from behind the arc that can really boost the Spartans.
— Congratulations to Katie Burt for becoming Boston College women’s hockey’s winningest goaltender this weekend. It’s crazy to think that Burt is only a junior; she’ll leave behind some tough-to-break records when her time as an Eagle is over. She’s become such a huge part of a special and incredibly dominant period for the women’s hockey team, and it’s pretty fun to watch.
Katie Morrison can be reached at [email protected].
