As the season started the team was filled with different swimming experience levels. Some people had never swam before. “We had a lot of people that were new to swimming. A challenging thing was trying to teach them about the sport,” said Coach Jeane Ryder. Some people have been swimming their whole life. “I have been swimming since I was 7 and I swim for a club team called Occoquan Swimming,” said Rome John Henriques . Even Coach Ryder swam. “I have been swimming all my life, until I couldn’t,” Even though the team is made up of experienced and inexperienced swimmers, they all got along and pulled through, making it an amazing season.
The Osbourn swim team had an outstanding season, Making it to regionals and states, and breaking school records. Allyson Epifanio, Nina Picardo, Kiara Picardo, Lyla Browne got 1.40.59 on the 200 free relay, breaking the school record. Nina Picardo got a 58.00 on the 100 backstroke also breaking the school’s record. “We had a pretty good season. This is the most kids that have been to states,” said Rome John.
Getting ready for regionals is a stressful process. Many emotions go through your head. Some things you can do to prepare yourself for regionals is, pack your swim bag the night before. That way, they can get some extra time to sleep, and won’t be stressed or rushed in the morning. “Do whatever you want that keeps you stress-free. Listen to music, watch a movie, go for walks, if it makes you happy,” said Rome. Sleep is the body’s way of healing itself, the average teenager should get eight to nine hours of sleep each night. Try to keep regionals off your mind as much as possible. It is completely natural to have the “what ifs” thoughts. Acknowledge those thoughts and find a way to replace them. “You just have to sit down and think,” said Vivienne DeAsis. Once the day of regionals comes, show up to the meet 15-20 minutes before your warm-up and find a space.
Each swimmer started the year preparing themselves in different ways. “I got a new tech suit that supposedly makes you swim faster. I ate and I stretched and made sure I wasn’t sore,” said Kiara Picardo. “I focused on sleeping well, getting over 8 hours of sleep, trying to limit how much junk food and sugar I ate,” said Rome. The Osbourn swim team practiced every day at the Freedom Center.
Swimming competitively in high school is time-consuming and challenging. “Something that was challenging was trying to balance out everyone’s schedule, trying to figure out who will and won’t be at meets. When swimmers commit to being on the team, It can be hard for the swimmers to get used to a new schedule for practice. We practiced every day. If I couldn’t get a turn right, I would have to do it over and over till I get it right,” Vivienne. Not only does practicing make you better, it gets you in the right mindset for meets.
Lena Browne, Lyla Browne, Vivienne DeAsis, Allyson Epifanio, John Rome Henriques, Carter Layden, Darcy Lucas, Kiara Picardo, and Nina Picardo all made it to regionals. The regional championship was held at Colgan HS on February 5th. The competition at regionals was very tough, but our Osbourn Eagles pulled through, making it to states.
The VHSL state championship was held in Hampton VA on February 15th and 16th. Lyla Browne, Allyson Epifanio, Carter Layden Darcy Lucas, Kiara Picardo, And Nina Picardo competed in states. “Going to the states I was nervous, I was also kinda scared,” said Nina Picardo. Lyla Browne Placed 7th in both the 50 and 100 freestyle. Nina Picardo placed 11th in the 200 IM and 14th in the 100 back.
Being on a high school swim team provides swimmers with a connection that can be hard to find in some clubs. “Everyone is friendly, even though you’re not caught up with everyone else they still make you feel welcomed,” said Vivienne. An advantage of swimming in high school is the opportunity to have conversations with new people and make new friends while also creating core memories. “This season was fun and exciting, one of my favorite memories was traveling with the team together,” said Nina.
Nothing can help a student-athlete more than being part of a high school swim program. It allows them a chance to show off their hard work, be recognized for their achievements in their school and be cheered on by their classmates, who are now their teammates. But the best part is when the swimmer is on the side of the pool, cheering on the new swimmers, or the time a kid who wins every race, says something to the brand new freshman before the student swims his or her first race. “I loved coaching all the kids, and seeing them all improve a lot throughout this season,” said Ryder. The swim team had an amazing season. Osbourn can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next season.
