Starting swim in seventh grade, Abel Guel (11) initially joined the swim team because he wanted to be in a sport, and growing up, a lot of his family members were swimmers.
Guel reflects on how each year, the swim team has improved not only at a competitive level, but also in how they work as a team.
“Getting as far as we did this year felt great,” Guel said. “It was nice seeing all the team members, and how we can rely on each other. It’s going to be sad that the seniors who are graduating this year are leaving, but they kind of helped us to be a family, and taught us that it’s not all about winning or swimming. It’s about having friendships that we might have for life.”
Something Guel noticed that was different compared to previous years was how the team was able to rely on each other.
“I definitely think that the teamwork was different compared to previous years,” Guel said. “Bigger meets this year weren’t relying on one or a couple of people; during our dual meet season, the entire team contributed to making the wins possible. So I think that’s a big thing that changed throughout the later years of swimming.”
Even with all the progress made throughout the year, Guel still faced challenges.
“I definitely think a challenge I faced was the pressure of other teams,” Guel said. “I think that it’s just that they know you’re up there and you’re basically like the target that they’re trying to be. So I think it’s just the pressure of everyone trying to beat you. And I think I overcame that by just relying on my training and trusting my coaches.”
Moving past those challenges, Guel was able to make new memories such as winning conferance.
“My favorite memory was probably winning conference,” Guel said. “I was seated to win. Meaning, I was the favorite to win, but I wasn’t feeling that great that day, and I was kind of worried. After I won, I was just excited and thought, wow, I can’t believe it. You know, I’ve won sectionals, and I think the next goal was to win conference, but it was just a relief, that’s like, wow, okay, I won conference. Like, I did a kind of achievement.”
This year, Guel was able to look past his challenges and focus on creating a closer bond with his teammates. Not only was he able to grow with his team, but also on his own skills, allowing him to make new memories such as winning conference.
