By Megan Goetcheus
staff writer
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| In Picture: Rosemary Harms Courtesy of Tom Reynolds |
With most high school sports, there are various teams split up based on grade and skill level. Swimming is one of the few sports with one single team, bonded together like a huge family. The Northview High School girls swim team has a bond that is unlike any other team in the school, and that close relationship shines through with this year’s state team.
This year’s team consisted of girls from all grades: freshman Sarah Pataniczek, sophomore Brooke Johnson, juniors, Katie Martin, Lauren Bockheim, Elaina Siver and Rachael Johnson, and senior Rosemary Harms. The divers to make it were sophomore twins Lexi and Lacey Mirandette. Despite the girls coming from all separate grades, they treat each other as equals.
Each of the girls who commented on the season mentioned the unique relationship of the team. The lone senior to advance to state was Harms, who said she was relieved the long season was over, but that she was definitely going to miss it. “The people on that team are extremely supportive and encouraging,” she said. According to Harms, grade doesn’t really matter, just how fast you can swim.
A girl who definitely proved that theory is freshman Sarah Pataniczek, who swam her way to be the only girl to qualify for Northview individually in the finals. Despite being on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of age, her view of her teammates is still the same. She was the only freshman to go to state, yet the thought of being so young never crossed her mind. “The team is all so close, so I didn’t feel any different from them,” Pataniczek said.
Two out of the three relays that made it to state advanced into the finals. The 200-meter medley relay (Bockheim, Siver, Pataniczek and B. Johnson) finished 13th overall and the 200-meter freestyle relay (Pataniczek, B. Johnson, Bockheim and Harms) finished 11th overall. The sophomore divers, Lexi Mirandette and Lacey Mirandette, both made it to the finals, finishing 9th and 13th respectively.
Pataniczek was the only swimmer to advance to the finals in an individual race. Going into state she was confident, but the nerves kicked in when they arrived at Eastern Michigan University on Friday November 18th. The pressure she put on herself in the preliminaries gave her a time that she didn’t love, but it still advanced her to the finals, where she was much more relaxed and got a better time, thanks to the excitement from her teammates and the crowd. Even with the spotlight on her when she is an individual, relays are what she really loves to do. “It is so much easier to swim fast when you have to do it for the rest of the girls on the relay,” she said.
Overall the state team swam their fastest, and they were proud of the times they received. With swimming being one of the longest seasons of high school sports, the girls are ready for a break from the pool, but their love for each other will last until next fall, when they go through it all over again.
This year’s team consisted of girls from all grades: freshman Sarah Pataniczek, sophomore Brooke Johnson, juniors, Katie Martin, Lauren Bockheim, Elaina Siver and Rachael Johnson, and senior Rosemary Harms. The divers to make it were sophomore twins Lexi and Lacey Mirandette. Despite the girls coming from all separate grades, they treat each other as equals.
Each of the girls who commented on the season mentioned the unique relationship of the team. The lone senior to advance to state was Harms, who said she was relieved the long season was over, but that she was definitely going to miss it. “The people on that team are extremely supportive and encouraging,” she said. According to Harms, grade doesn’t really matter, just how fast you can swim.
A girl who definitely proved that theory is freshman Sarah Pataniczek, who swam her way to be the only girl to qualify for Northview individually in the finals. Despite being on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of age, her view of her teammates is still the same. She was the only freshman to go to state, yet the thought of being so young never crossed her mind. “The team is all so close, so I didn’t feel any different from them,” Pataniczek said.
Two out of the three relays that made it to state advanced into the finals. The 200-meter medley relay (Bockheim, Siver, Pataniczek and B. Johnson) finished 13th overall and the 200-meter freestyle relay (Pataniczek, B. Johnson, Bockheim and Harms) finished 11th overall. The sophomore divers, Lexi Mirandette and Lacey Mirandette, both made it to the finals, finishing 9th and 13th respectively.
Pataniczek was the only swimmer to advance to the finals in an individual race. Going into state she was confident, but the nerves kicked in when they arrived at Eastern Michigan University on Friday November 18th. The pressure she put on herself in the preliminaries gave her a time that she didn’t love, but it still advanced her to the finals, where she was much more relaxed and got a better time, thanks to the excitement from her teammates and the crowd. Even with the spotlight on her when she is an individual, relays are what she really loves to do. “It is so much easier to swim fast when you have to do it for the rest of the girls on the relay,” she said.
Overall the state team swam their fastest, and they were proud of the times they received. With swimming being one of the longest seasons of high school sports, the girls are ready for a break from the pool, but their love for each other will last until next fall, when they go through it all over again.
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| Photo of the Northview State Swim Team Courtesy of Barbie Mirandette |
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