By Hannah Gross for NLJ
It is pretty easy to take things for granted these days, but I wanted to take a moment to remind everybody how lucky we are to have a quality swimming pool in our community, and a great swimming program available to the kids here. As somebody who has benefitted from both since moving here a half dozen years ago, I can vouch for how fortunate we truly are to have these things in a town this size.
Swimming is something that I have always done. I started doing swim lessons when I was three, and joined the swim team when I was seven. I’ve been doing it ever since.
When I first moved to Newcastle, I didn’t think it would even have a pool, let alone a swim team. But I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did it have a pool, it had a really nice one at that. So I began swimming with the Newcastle Stingrays Swim Team (NSST) and have been doing so for six years. It’s been great. I’ve had many fun (and somewhat brutal) experiences with my time spent with the NSST at swim practices and meets, and it’s all been worth it.
I’d have to say that my favorite meet is the Wyoming State Swimming Championship Meet. It’s by far the longest and most exhausting swim meet I have ever been to, but the atmosphere surrounding it is so exciting and enlivening that it makes me appreciate a job well done.
That’s just how it felt at the 2018 Winter Short Course Championships in Laramie, WY. NSST was definitely one of the smaller teams, having only four swimmers competing; Ramsey Gross, Harrison Gross, Gabe Hoover, and myself; but that didn’t stop us. In our division, we placed second overall with a total of 244 Points. Everyone did well, improving times and accomplishing goals.
One goal that I’ve had ever since I was ten-years-old was to qualify for the Western Zone Championship Meet. Zones is the next level up from State, and it’s a big championship meet for all of the states in the western part of the United States. For swimmers under the age of 15, the location varies from places like Colorado all the way to Hawaii, but for the older kids, it’s held in Clovis, CA each year.
Every time I’ve gotten close to qualifying, the qualification standards got harder because I “aged up.”
But this year, I finally reached my goal. During the high school swim season, I qualified for zones in two events, and at this past State Meet, I picked up another time. As far as I can tell, no one from Newcastle has gone to Zones in the past decade, and I’m really grateful and excited for the opportunity to go to Clovis and represent not only Newcastle, but Team Wyoming.
This is not something that I could’ve done on my own. I’ve had a lot of support from all my parents, teammates, and coaches in the past six years, pushing me at practice and making me a better swimmer. Most importantly, I thank God for giving me the chance to swim and bringing me where I am today. It’s nothing I’ve done on my own, only what He’s doing through me. He’s given me this gift so I want to give it back to Him.
Our other swimmers also did really well at State. Ramsey and Harrison Gross both qualified in several events which was really awesome considering they both recently aged up, meaning they had a tougher fight in the rink since they were on the younger side of their age categories. They improved in several races, and even placed in a few events. Being their older sister, I’m pretty proud of them both.
Gabe Hoover, our youngest qualifier, was definitely a highlight during the weekend. He medaled in all eight races and scored a total of 94 points out of the team’s 244 points. It’s a big deal to achieve a medal in every event, especially as an eight-year-old. He’s going to be an awesome swimmer, and has already proved to be very talented in the sport. I wouldn’t be surprised if he broke a record down the road. He has both the skill and the competiveness to do it.
Our swim team is a fairly young team, and that helps build up the high school swim program. It’s been really neat to see all the different kids who have tried out for swimming. We’ve had both experienced and inexperienced kids join the team, and I want to thank the community for sending us their kids, helping to keep NSST afloat. Without you, we couldn’t have a swim team. So thank you and keep up the good work!
Another way I’ve seen the community get involved is through our home meet, the Cupid Classic, held in February each year. We usually have about 150-200 swimmers participate, and we always have had huge support from local businesses, swim parents, and other volunteers helping us out.
Swimming is a great sport, and we have a great community to support us. I look forward to continuing to swim with the NSST, and hope to meet some new faces in the years to come.