Come Along on Our Swim Teams State Series Meet

Emmie Drell, Senior Staff Writer

November 12, 2021

This last weekend, our Academy swim team traveled to Stuart to compete in the 1A State Series for swimming. We had a great group of girls come together for a truly exciting and bonding experience, and while we were all exhausted at the end of it, there was a lot of fun on the trip.

The weekend started by meeting at Academy on Friday morning, at 8:45 am. Everyone did a warm up in our pool, got ready, and packed into the two vans that would be taking us to Stuart for the meet to come. (Photo Credit: Emmie Drell/Achona Online)

Usually we would warm up after we arrived in Stuart, but this year we took the safe route and warmed up beforehand because the weather was really bad over there and we didn’t want to miss a day of swimming before a meet as important as this one.

After the drive over, we had to stop by the pool to check in for the following day. It was nice that we all ended up going to the pool for this because it allowed everyone to see the pool if they hadn’t been there before, and we all got to buy merch before it got sold out.
(Photo Credit: Emmie Drell/Achona Online)

Usually, we would be here to warm up in preparation for the following day but it was nice that we warmed up before the drive over because we were able to relax and enjoy our trip to the pool.

After getting a feel for the hotel and the pool, we all went to dinner at Carrabbas. This is a tradition for the team, and after we ate everyone got a really comfy and fuzzy pair of socks. It was a really nice surprise, and we really liked them if you couldn’t tell.
(Photo Credit: Emmie Drell/Achona Online)

Dinner at Carrabbas is always fun, but this year it was really nice to be there because we weren’t covered in chlorine from warming up beforehand.

Sophomore Emme Shoop said “My favorite thing about states this year was the dinner we had at Carrabbas, especially the bread and herbs beforehand. For me, going to that dinner was a really good way to get to know everyone better because I was the only diver there.”

On Saturday, the day of the meet, the weather started off really muggy and overcast which made it super cold, especially for all of the swimmers, but it cleared up about halfway through the morning session, so it became a lot more tolerable.
(Photo Credit: Emmie Drell/Achona Online)

At the beginning of the morning session, I was really nervous for everyone and their performance because it was so cold, I mean I was fully dressed and didn’t have to be in the water and was still cold, so when the sun came out I think that everyone was really relieved because that extra warmth was super helpful.

Before every meet, we do a cheer together to assert our dominance. This year someone thought it would be a good idea to try a new cheer… on the day of states. This made the completion of the cheer really interesting, but it was still fun to do (even though we got some weird looks from the Bolles kids).
(Photo Credit: Emmie Drell/Achona Online)

It has always been fun to do the cheer before a meet, but it was really exciting to do before finals and I think that it got everyone really excited to compete.

Ashlin Cannella (’24) said “One thing that has been nice about states is that the boys aren’t here. It’s been nice having them with us in the past, but I think it has been awesome with just us girls this year.”

This is just us trying to get a nice picture of the group, but it was really bright out so we were struggling. We still look cute though.
(Photo Credit: Emmie Drell/Achona Online)

It was really nice to get a picture of us together, even though we were being blinded by the sun. This picture doesn’t totally show it, but we all grew a lot closer because of states.

Meghan Hyer (‘24), Grace Callahan (‘25), and Emme Shoop (’24) got to meet some new friends! (Photo Credit: Emmie Drell/Achona Online)

We didn’t really get to meet a lot of new people at the meet because everyone was super serious about the competition and performing well, but it was really nice to see everyone loosen up and reach out after all of the stress with racing.

Academy’s team coach, Bill Shaffer, and student Bella Dieffenthaller (‘25) celebrate after she breaks an Academy swim record.
(Photo Credit: Alex Diaz/Used with Permission)

We were all super proud of Bella when she broke the school record in the 100 freestyle. We couldn’t be more proud of her accomplishment, especially as a freshman.

You guessed it, another team picture. This was taken at the end of the meet, and while we were all exhausted, everyone was really proud of the girls for their determination to perform well.
(Photo Credit: Alex Diaz/Used with permission)

Academy swim coach, Alex Diaz said, “I’ve really enjoyed being able to support my favorite swimmers this year. I couldn’t be more proud of their performance and ability to keep their energy up.”

Even though I didn’t swim at states this year, I had the best season that I could have ever asked for, and I’m so glad that I was able to go and support everyone. I couldn’t be more proud of how we did as a team and I am devastated that I have to leave them all.