Swim team sank the San Leandro Pirates
On March 17, the Castro Valley swim team held a home meet against the San Leandro Pirates. From the arrival of the San Leandro pirates until the final lap, our pool of green and gold turned into a seafaring battleground for our Trojans to fend off the purple pirates.
As swimmers began to arrive, putting their bags down and applying sunscreen, the pool was waiting for attention. Being called to the task of removing the pool cover by assistant coach Melissa Wun, the first few attendees were reluctant yet hasty to remove the covers and roll them up. Swimmers gathered together, practicing dives to warm up, stretching their eager bodies, and finishing by clutching their towels to their soaked selves, filling the pool and dry land with a powerful, excited, and somewhat nervous energy.
After warmups, they gathered for some team rallying spirit. Led by the captains William DeCarli, Jennnifer Mi, Amelia Johnson, Kyle Mognaga, and Austin Xie, they performed traditional collaborative chants including the infamous “T, R, O, J, A, N, S, what’s that spell?” finishing off by yelling “Safe Sex!”, making a humorous take over of the nervous atmosphere.
During the meet, the water and air were filled with a joyous intensity that could be seen on everyone’s faces. From the supportive teammates lining the foot of the pool screaming “GO!” at the tops of their lungs to their peers in a voice of confidence, to the tiny rickety wooden bleachers where parents sat clumped together, to behind the diving blocks where students waited anxiously for their races, the meet was an exciting environment to witness. JV Captain junior William DeCarli reminisces, “My favorite memories were probably when someone who graduated was at swimming and just kind of the whole team was there to cheer him, and having a good time with him,” then giving a boost in confidence for his team, he gave this piece of advice: “Swim hard and beat the other team!”
Toward the end of the meet, just as the sun starts setting, the energy also started to die down. The teams were more relaxed and personal records were being checked in by coaches. Varsity captain, senior Jennifer Mi said, “I think the meet’s going well, especially since the weather is nice today. We have a lot of people who were excited and ready to get into the water!” The swim meet brought home some new personal records from Theodora Bejenariu, Charlotte Chu, and Joshua Mitchell on the JV team, and Corinne Arakawa, Gavin Willits, and Stella Chang on varsity.
The Trojans stood their ground, rallying together to make a combined total of 577 points against the Pirates’ 94. The Trojans, led by our three coaches and special junior coach Samantha Li, swam to victory, sinking the San Leandro Pirates into a deep blue demise, returning the clashing waters back to a pool of green and gold.