The DMS Swim Team may not have officially started its season, but practice is already underway.
The first swim meeting of the season is scheduled for Oct. 28 in Edmond. Other meets are scheduled through the end of the first semester. The year, the team is being coached by Mark Hays and Deven Speed, both of whom are also middle school science teachders.
“Swimming is a lot of fun, and I feel good about this season,” seventh-grader Hunter Nooner said.
This is Nooner’s first year on the swim team, but he said he is ready to cheer on his teammates, as he knows they would do the same for them.
Also joining the swim team for his first season is Bentley McMinn.
McMinn, also in seventh grade, said he is excited about the season and is ready for his first meet.
“I feel like my biggest challenge for swim would be racing other opponents,” McMinn said.
Similarly, Nooner said he thinks his main challenge will be keeping up with others. However, he said he loves the sport and has set a goal of improving in the sport so he can get as good as some of his teammates who have been on the team longer.
McMinn said the support of his teammates provides a lot of motivation for swimming.
Also on the team is eighth-grader Anne Strong, who is in her second season swimming for DMS.
Strong feels that the team this year is pretty good this year, and she is looing forward to the upcoming meets this school year.
She said one of her main goals for this year’s swim season is to set a school record. Strong said swimming can be hard on the muscles and takes a lot of self-discipline, but she enjoys it.
As far as what keeps her motivated? Strong has found the best mantra coming from the movie “Finding Nemo.”
“My biggest motivation is Dory, ‘Just keep swimming,’” she said.
