The Emery varsity swim team was created in 2021 after continued insistence from a group of around five middle school swimmers. As of this year, the team only has eight athletes, and no seniors, a rare case for an Emery varsity team.
With such a small team, the varsity swim team might not be super noticeable. However, sophomore swimmer Zane Rigsby, a member of the team since it first started, thinks otherwise. Rigsby notes that swimming is a big part of his life as he also swims on a competitive team outside of school. His commitment to the sport translates over to his hopeful attitude and expectations for the team’s growth.
“Compared to prior years, there are a lot more swimmers, especially in this freshman class,” Rigsby informs. For context, the team only has about five swimmers from both the sophomore and junior class compared to the four to six from the freshman class. “Next year, it will double again because a lot more people from the eighth grade class will be joining too. The swim team is hitting a nice spike of growth,” Rigsby adds.
Thus, size does not seem to be a factor halting the team’s success anytime soon. Additionally, the small size may actually carry some other advantages as Rigsby and junior swimmer Arielle Shani remark on their experiences and bonds with swimmers across the grades.
For Rigsby, bonding usually occurs at the swim meets; “before every meet I talk to each and every person and we all come together and talk about the meet. We get ready, we hype each other up, we talk about what we’re going to do and overall it’s really good for bonding and helps everyone get really excited for the meet.”
“I’ve formed a lot of bonds with the freshmen and some of the sophomores too,” Shani adds, reflecting on her relationship with the team and her goal for connecting with the team in order to be the best leader she can be.
Although the swim team seems to handle the size of the team well enough, the lack of senior leaders still stands out. Senior leadership is important on any athletic team, swim team not excluded. Director of Athletics Angela Gubitz explains, “Upper class leadership is important because they [seniors] are making sure that everything, from the culture to expectations of how we show up for practice, on game day; all of that is established by them.”
Gubitz’s expectation for senior leadership stirs some speculation about what happens when you don’t have any seniors on the team. The swim team this year had to contend with this question of how the juniors and stand out sophomores would handle leadership and fill the vacant shoes of their predecessors.
When you don’t have seniors on a team, “you have people who have been in the program for less time and so they’re trying to be leaders earlier than they are ready to be leaders,” Gubitz remarks. However, she also explains that it is the job of previous seniors to “ensure that future generations can handle carrying that [leadership].”
Last year, the team had two seniors, captain August Golub and Hannah Hu. According to both Rigsby and Shani, the two seniors helped prepare them for taking over leadership.
“I’ve been in swimming for quite some time, and just based off of what Auggie used to do for the freshman, I’ve been able to almost mimic that in a way… I’ve been able to help out where I can,” Rigsby reflects.
“Hannah wasn’t technically a captain, but she was a pretty good leader. She cheered on everybody, no matter how bad or good they were doing. She was always there for people,” Shani remarks. Shani adds that she tries to be supportive and uplifting, mirroring the leadership she has seen in the past.
With the sophomores and juniors seeming ready to lead and create strong bonds, despite stepping into leadership earlier than usual and leading a smaller team than normal, the varsity swim team appears to be in good, capable hands.
“The people who do know how things work will always be ready to help. I think we’ve been able to do pretty well, even without a senior,” Rigsby confidently remarks.
Swim Coach Jayson Williams, the main coach of the team for about three seasons now, adds his hopes for the team in the future. “I want us to be able to stand on our own two feet and to know what to do and keep moving forward.” Jayson also adds that he wants the team to “grow as far as numbers,” an easy task with a comparably massive middle school team of 18 swimmers, close to double the amount of the high school, who will soon transition to the Upper School. It seems the varsity swim team is here to stay.
