The Arcadia High School (AHS) Swim team held a meet with John Burroughs High School on Wednesday, Mar. 6. Despite the hard rain, the team accomplished a four way win: Boys JV Swim, Girls JV Swim, Boys Varsity Swim, and Girls Varsity Swim.

Both teams showed their dedication and hard work with quick starts and impressive times, but it was clear that AHS dominated the pool. In addition to demonstrating their skill, other AHS swimmers cheered each other from the sidelines, a driving factor to their impressive win.

Junior Ariel Lew was among many of the Girls Varsity Swim team members, competing in the 200 Freestyle Relay, 100 Backstroke, and was the last leg in the 400 Freestyle Relay.

Lew showed her school spirit, stating that she is “proud to be a part of the AHS Swim program” for a multitude of reasons. She emphasized the importance of team spirit, and how the team brings their energy to each meet. “Not only do we excel, but we are able to work together flawlessly even in individual events.”

Lew also mentioned her goals for the season, to “win the Pacific League Champions title for the third year in a row.”

A key factor to the meet was the pouring rain that lasted throughout the afternoon. While spectators, coaches, and photographers were drenched, the swimmers persevered and continued to perform to their best ability.

Lew said that “swimmers normally swim in the rain,” so there wasn’t much of a difference in the weather. In fact, “it was the third rainy swim meet of the year.” 

Sophomore Melinda Yu, member of the Girls JV Swim team, swam the Freestyle leg in the 200 Medley and competed in the 100 Individual Medley. The medley event differs from others, as it is a combination of four different swimming strokes: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.

Yu reflected on the meet with great enthusiasm. She expressed, “I’m really proud of how we did today. The rain was pretty brutal, but we didn’t let it affect us or our scores. I’m happy that our hard work is paying off.”

Girls Varsity Swim team member, sophomore Minna Tan, competed in the 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle, winning the latter event with an impressive time of 57.49 seconds. 

When asked about the current practice schedule, Tan said, “We are currently practicing Monday through Friday. We have morning practices Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, while our afternoon practices are everyday of the school week. It is for sure pretty tiring and time consuming, but it is well worth it.”

Similar to Lew, Tan also hopes to win the League Championship. The meet was a great reminder of their determination and persistence, considering a four way win is not uncommon for the team.

Photo courtesy of Arcadia DCI intern Vania Ahmadi