Today is Saturday, February 11, 2012
Today is Saturday, February 11, 2012
The Little Mermaid isn’t the only one who shares the pool with her sisters. Five sets of sisters on the school’s girls swim team are all very much part of each other’s worlds.
Prior to being on the school’s team, many of the sisters had already been swimming together for many years. Sophomore Olivia Santiago has been swimming with her sister senior Alex Santiago since she was three.
“Mainly, we swim together in the same lane,” Olivia said. “[Alex] sets the pace.”
Freshman Molly Palu and junior Meghan Palu are also familiar with swimming together as they were on a public swim team, the Covington Critters, for a few summers.
Although freshman Laura Lee and senior Anna Lee have been part of the same swim club for a couple of years, Anna initially felt that “it [was] a little weird to see [Laura] in the high school pool.” However, according to Anna, “now it’s just another bonding experience.”
Similarly, freshman Alyssa Wemyss and senior Nicole Wemyss find that being on the same team provides them with an opportunity to spend time with one another.
“One of the reasons I’m doing swimming is to be on the same team as my sister,” Alyssa said. “I know [Nicole] will be going off to college soon, and I want to spend as much time with her now as I can.”
Sometimes, being on the same team can be irritating to the sisters. Alyssa sometimes feels slightly frustrated when older sister Nicole “gets serious and demanding” when leading practice.
For some, sharing the pool with their sisters doesn’t affect their competitiveness at all. Senior Kelsey Emrick said there’s no reason for her to compete against her sister, freshman Lindsay Emrick. She believes that because swimming is a team sport, the girls are all working together.
The girls also said that being on the same team as their sisters definitely has its benefits.
“It’s convenient to have [Molly] on the same team at times because I always have a second source to go to if I’m unsure about practice and meet times,” Meghan said. “Also, it’s nice to know that someone close to me is sharing the same experiences.”
Even for the older girls, having their sisters on the team can provide a sense of security. According to Alex, being on the same team as her younger sister allows her to feel more “open and expressive” on the team.
“We’ve been around each other our entire lives, so being in a sport with her allows me to break out of my shell a little more because I’m around a person [with] whom I am 100 percent comfortable,” Alex said.
