By KINSEY SEACORD
With butterflies in her stomach, she sips her Redbull as she prepares for the swim meet, just minutes away. Junior Chelsie Britt has followed this pregame ritual ever since she can remember.
A few feet away music can be heard booming from senior Abigail Shea’s headphones as she gets into her mental zone.
“I always listen to rap before each of my races, it really pumps me up and makes me swim harder,” Shea said.
Both Britt and Shea contribute to the school’s swim record, aiding them in a win against Osceola on Sept. 15. With a 4-3 season for the girls and 5-2 for the boys, the swim teams are starting the year with a winning record.
On Sept. 10, at the Relay Meet at Winter Park High School, the boys placed 3rd while the girls placed 4th. Making improvements to help the team place higher, coach Rosalie Creighton, with the help of her fitness assistant Emily Smith, designed a new method of training to whip their athletes into prime shape.
“[We are] working on core training through weight lifting and running. I hope this exercise will make the kids stronger than before,” Creighton said.
The secret weapon of the girls’ team is Britt, who transferred from Lake Highland Preparatory. Britt is one of the most valuable assets of the team. Holding a state record of 53.83 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly at the 2010 FHSAA Swimming Finals, Britt also qualified to swim at the Olympic trials in the 100-meter and the 200-meter butterfly events in June.
“I think I help motivate the swimmers at Boone more than usual and encourage them to reach their full potential as swimmers,” Britt said.
Another team leader is junior William Stone. With a personal record of 1:11 in the 100-meter butterfly event, Stone has set high goals for this season.
“My expectation for the team is to win districts. It’s our only goal,” Stone said. “I [also] expect to be able to positively support my teammates in the pool and during school.”
With an Olympic contender on the team Creighton hopes they will place in regionals and states.
“I expect my team to be dedicated, work hard, have fun and represent Boone in a proud way,” Creighton said. The State Meet will be on Thursday, Nov 10 at the YMCA at 9 a.m.
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