As the Lady Warriors carry on with their season, they plan on making changes that will put them in a good ending position. So far, the ladies have won more meets than they have lost as vigorous practices during the week alongside swim meets have put the ladies on the road to success.
“The team is amazing at practice. We all work incredibly hard and have gotten through a lot of difficult sets this year,” sophomore Riley Bryk said.
The team has realized that their level of hard work and dedication to practicing have strengthened them both individually and as a whole. The ladies are becoming increasingly triumphant with winning their events and meets this season compared to last. “We've had a lot of improvements since the beginning of the season, and it's great to see all of our hard work pay off,” junior Therese Dao said.
There is always more room for improvement, and the ladies plan to work on cheering each other on during meets to keep every swimmer in the right headspace.
“We have been trying to cheer more and stay on our feet throughout the entire meet,” Bryk said.
Hearing things like cheering, shouting, clapping and yelling from other teammates keeps the ladies in a positive spirit which will ultimately result in a better outcome for the team at large. This type of motivation from teammates spreads the buoyancy that the ladies need in order to push themselves to the finish line.
“The hardest part about being a swimmer is having to push your body past your breaking point, just so you can build it back up for competition. The best part is looking back and seeing your improvement throughout the year. It's the best feeling because there are so many times during the season where you feel like you are just at rock bottom, so when you look back and see you got passed that situation, it makes you feel much better,” senior Olivia Clayton said.
The physical practice is only one component of athletes’ hard work. The mentality is the other component since the comfort zone is a psychological state. In order to break through internal limits, it is vital to understand personal boundaries in order to overcome them.
“The practices are strenuous, but the physical effort is no match for the mental effort,” Bryk said.
Athletes’ thoughts, feelings and attitudes can positively or negatively affect their physical functioning. In other words, the state of mind affects things like performance and stamina.
“Everyone is always working hard, and it’s definitely going to pay off in the end,” Dao said.