By Katie Tolmachof
“The hardest part is jumping into the water.”
– Austin Anderson, sophomore
“Having to run outside with little clothing
on icy ground with freezing feet is difficult.”
– Nicole Brandjten, freshman
“The worst part for me is the darkness of winter.
It’s one thing to swim in the summer when it’s bright,
sunny and warm; it’s another thing swimming
in the dark hours.” – David Larson,
senior and four-year varsity swimmer
“Whatever the season, I like swimming
for the exercise.” – Hannah Roth, freshman
“It’s especially awkward going between
the main building and pool enclosure in the snow!”
– Dunia Baghdanoff, sophomore
Steaming teenagers emerge dripping wet from the chlorinated depths and rush over to a pile of terry cloth, quickly robing themselves to defend against the 26 degree temperature.
Despite the similarities to a scene from sci-fi film, it is a familiar scenario for Silverton High School swim team members and coaches.
Silverton’s swimming pool is the only outdoor pool in the Mid-Willamette Valley Conference. While it is somewhat protected in the winter by a giant tent, weather and humidity still greatly affect conditions in and around the pool.
“Not only do the swimmers get wet, but so do the spectators,” laughed Sierra Prior, a junior at SHS and two-time state-qualifier in her third year of high school swimming. Condensation creates drips on the tent’s ceiling which fall onto the seating area and anywhere one may stand within the enclosure.
Head Coach Cindy Morrison, Junior Varsity Coach David Botieff and Assistant Coach Lucky Rogers have their work cut out for them as they motivate and direct from a cold and damp deck with the loud hum of an exhaust fan behind them. But Morrison said it’s not difficult to motivate the swimmers.
“These guys have got to want it. They are driven by their own desire – I can’t want it more than them,” she said. And desire for success during the regular season and placing high at districts and state is a goal for many Aqua Foxes. It’s what keeps these kids swimming 25 yards and a flip turn at a time, for an intense 90-minute workout each day – a total of about 5,000 yards per practice, said Morrison.
“That, and no dinner until workout’s over,” added Rogers with a grin.
Aside from high goals, hard work and intensity in practice, a feeling of camaraderie unites this team of 35 freshmen-through-seniors. Each understands the tremendous commitment in this sport and respects one another.
“We enjoy being on the team together. For some of us, it’s our fourth year with Coach Morrison, and it’s been a lot of fun,” said senior Hayley Rogers, the girls team captain. With her own idea of mutual respect and understanding, Jena Agenbroad knows that if she doesn’t give 100 percent, she will make up the difference in some way or another.
“If I don’t show up, Coach Cindy is going to kill me,” Agenbroad joked.
What drives Austin Anderson, a second-generation SHS swimmer, is the knowledge that a missed day of practice takes two days to catch up.
“Plus, I don’t want to let my team down,” he said. For Morgan Anderson, a tough competitor in several sports, it’s the “awesome people on (the) team” that keep her going.
