The Barstow swim team finished its second season strong. Several team members received medals, and their freestyle relay was state-considered! This feeling of accomplishment is shared across the entire team.
“I think the season has gone really really well,” says Avani Lakkireddy ‘24. “We had a lot of new sign-ups from the juniors, and they made the team a lot more fun this year. We’re young since it’s only our second season, but we’re improving. We’re doing a lot better than last year.”
“It’s been a really fun season,” agrees Izzy Parr ‘24, “and at all the meets we’ve gone to we’ve improved at, and it is super fun to see that progress.”
“We went to more meets this year, and we’re starting to become more cohesive and stronger as a team,” adds Cam Westphal ‘25.
“We usually finished in the top half in our meets,” explains Mahek Vora ‘25. “Our seniors are very strong and so are the juniors. Sonya especially is phenomenal at swimming. It was my first year on the team, but I had a lot of fun.”
“I think we’re well on our way to building a solid program! I’m very thankful to all of our swimmers from last and this season for trying out. I’m especially thankful for Izzy Parr, Alexandra Hunyh, Avani Lakkireddy, Kiley Bourke, Sonya Shkuta, Cameron Westphal, and Sydney Georgie for sticking with me over the past two seasons and I have to credit them with pioneering this program,” says Coach Alexa Taylor. “The growth between last season and this was evident and the Barstow girls are already able to hold their own against some really strong schools like Sion, St. Teresa’s, and others. I can’t wait to see where the swim program is 5 years from now!”
Since Barstow’s swim team only just finished its second season, the program and team members are developing its atmosphere. Several things make the swim team stand out from other Barstow athletic programs.
“I think swim is really special because we’re building it from the ground up. We have a new coach, and we’re all learning at the same time how to do this,” says Lasya Maganti ‘24, one of the team’s managers.
“One thing that’s special is that anyone can join the team and participate. It’s super fun and low-stakes. I feel like, at a lot of schools, it would be a lot of pressure to perform at a high level. While we work hard, it’s mostly for enjoyment and time with friends,” says Izzy Parr ’24.
Mahek’s favorite aspect of swim this season was “the bond between teammates. It’s a small group, but even joining as a first year it’s really fun. Everyone is welcoming, and no one is judging anyone for anything throughout the season.”
“I like that it’s not always a team sport, but you can also be on a team. You still get to cheer each other on and stuff at meets,” says Westphal.
“It requires a lot of mental strength in addition to physical effort. In a lot of other sports, you share the responsibility among a few different teammates, but in swimming it’s mostly you on your own in the water for your event. During an event, you usually can’t hear teammates or coaches supporting you or guiding you so it can get kind of solitary. That, in addition to pushing your body to its limits while restricting your breathing, it makes for a very demanding sport,” adds Coach Taylor.
Leilani Galles ‘24, another one of the team’s managers, commented on team chemistry too: “Everyone is a community. You can tell people are happy to be there. At meets, there’s so much cheering, even when people compete in the same events against each other. There’s no competition among team members to fill that number one spot.”
This strong team chemistry manifested itself in fun memories between swim members. The one shared by the most athletes, though, was after their meet against Belton.
“It was a 25-minute drive, and it was really really foggy. Coach was driving the small van, so we were cramped in there together while she tried to navigate us back to school. We were belting “Stay” by Rhianna, and it was just super fun. Hanging out with the girls is my favorite part,” recalls Lakkireddy.
Of course, team members also learned valuable lessons throughout this season.
“Sometimes when I’m anxious before a meet, I get really overwhelmed and stressed out. I learned how to channel that feeling into one of excitement and push myself to do better. Swim taught me how to cope with that anxiety and use that to my advantage,” says Parr.
As always, there are two things the Barstow community should know about the swim team. Support is always welcome, especially to our more unpopular sports, but the program needs participation too, ensuring its continued success.
“We’re losing four seniors this year, so if you want to or have been thinking about joining, you definitely should! You can make so many new friendships, and it’s a great way to stay in shape,” says Lakkireddy.
