Splashing into the water, with determination at its side, the CB South swim team works hard to train for the upcoming swimming season.

According to Mr. Lake, coach of South’s swim team, the team relies on two places of training: “in the water [and] the weight room.”

The training in the weight room is from 6-7AM during days when it is assigned, with the process continuing for the entire school year.

“There are four different stations we have, with four different sets which we’ll rotate through,” said Mr. Lake. “A station might include four activities. One station could be 10 pushups, eight pull ups, six sit ups, and four squats. [There are] all sorts of exercises” that the team can do in the weight room for practice.

According to Sam Towle, one of the girl’s team’s captains, they “do CrossFit types of exercise,” a core strength and conditioning program. “It’s hard but I do really feel fit,” she said.

“Five minutes are spent at each station,” Mr. Lake said.”The goal is to see [the team’s] growth through the year” through an increase in both the weight and intensity of the workouts.

The team avoids doing this training during meets, which are usually scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays, in order to prevent the team from being too tired to adequately perform.

Recently, the training regiment has also begun to include swimming from 6-7Am on different days. “[The swim team] practices four mornings throughout the week for the entire school year. Ten 100’s” [100 yards] are done in this practice, with five to ten-second rests in between,” said Matt Moretti, a senior member of the team.

“It’s definitely intense,” Towle commented, discussing her thoughts on the workouts.  “We do five to six thousand yards.”

“It’s hard in the mornings,” she said. However, she still saw the training as “worth it” because of the growth she experienced.

“It’s pretty rigorous,” Mr. Lake said, adding that he expects this new regiment for the team will improve the results in meets.

“[The students] love it,” said Mr. Lake. “[They] can see improvements” as they train through the school year. “They enjoy the circuits because it makes their growth clearer.”

“It’s hard,” Moretti laughed. “But you can definitely tell the results. It’s also really refreshing when you’re done,” he said, adding that he felt himself grow. Towle agreed, saying that “it’s relieving after finishing the workouts.”

Mr. Lake concluded by saying, “You put in effort and you see the results.”