Girls Swimming Races to Their Final Meet
The girls finished the season with a win against Leon M. Goldstein. Photo: Continental Studios
By JUNE LU
June Lu is a member of the girls swim team.
As the final event of the 400 freestyle relay came to a quick finish, the girls swim team ended the season mourning a 55-39 playoff loss against Townshend Harris. Regardless of this setback, the squad persevered and continued to show their team spirit throughout the season, finishing 5-4.
This year came with speedy personal records and efficient communication.
“This season was a mix of fun and stress,” said senior captain Lily Kulavski. “You get to hang out with friends and bond over the physical strains of training.”
As Kulavski said, swimming can be a very stressful sport to some people, but the results make the practice worth it. Additionally, being able to beat your own personal record more than once feels extremely rewarding. Some of the girls who beat their records included Charlotte Li ‘26, who dropped four seconds on her 100 yard butterfly, and Ava Ference ‘24, who dropped three seconds on her 200 yard freestyle. Even though three or four seconds doesn’t sound like much, in swimming, every single stroke and even millisecond counts.
Some of the most memorable meets were those against James Madison High School. These meets, typically known as “The Battle of Bedford,” keep everyone on their feet. “There’s always a tension in the air when we arrive at the Madison pool,” said Kulavski.
Coach Lindsey Pero is a huge fan of the “Battle of Bedford.” She said, “Some of our most exciting meets were against James Madison. They’re always action-packed.”
During the races, once the whistle is blown, there is nonstop cheering between the girls for their teammates in the water.
“I adore how the team supports and cares for one another during and after their races; it’s like a second family,” said senior captain Mehribon Khakimova.
The team shows excellent sportsmanship and prioritizes making everyone feel included.
“Of course we have amazing swimmers who break personal record after personal record; however, I think the fact that we’re all so close pushes each and every one of us to do better and make the team proud,” said Kulavski.
Sports require dedication, and the girls show an excellent amount of effort towards the team and the sport itself. It brings out a different type of bond and pushes the girls to swim their best in their individual races. It also creates friendly rivalries between swimmers.
Outside of the pool, managing schoolwork and a sport can be difficult. However, the girls have shown that they can handle the challenge.
Ariana Ma ‘25 said, “Most of the time I do my homework after swimming practice. It’s difficult, especially when I’m exhausted from practice, but I push through it anyway.”
Khakimova explained how putting homework and school first allows her to “relax and not feel any worry about it at night after practice or a meet.”
The team’s managers William Zhang ‘24 and Dmytro Popov ‘24 have also been a huge contribution to the meets. Having to record the times of multiple swimmers along with the score can be stressful, but they succeed at it.
“Managing the girls team was one of the highlights of my year,” said Zhang, who is also on the Argus staff. “Being a returning manager, it was exciting to see the improvement between the older girls and how well the new girls performed.”
“Everyone was ready for the meets and there weren’t any hard feelings left afterward,” Zhang added. “The sportsmanship that this team showed was always there, regardless of the results.”
Through every hardship and injury, the girls continued to push through and overcome any obstacles thrown their way.
“Swimming is all about the effort you put in,” said Coach Lindsey Pero. “You will see results when you put the hard work into succeeding!”