With the approach of winter, most people are thinking of snow, snow days, and Christmas vacation; however, for winter sports athletes, it means training to become great when the snow starts melting. Devin Galloway and Michael Whittle, two of the three senior co-captains for the swim team, share this idea.



“In order for us to have a great season this year, we need to keep working extremely hard at practice both morning and night,” says Galloway. “I hope to drop time from last year and help win conference; we were so close last year.”

Whittle has similar goals for his final season as a Streak. “I want to win conference in the 100 breaststroke or the 200 medley relay and take down Moline in a dual meet. We want revenge for them breaking our huge winning streak last year,” Whittle states. “A top-three finish in our Ironman competition, where we swim every event in a swim meet, would be nice, too.”

“If you are thinking about joining the swim team,” says Galloway, “prepare for hard work and waking up at 5:30 every morning. It’s very difficult, with two practices a day and three-hour practices during winter break, but it’s all worth it at the end of the season.”

“Swimming is very, very, very difficult. So many yards get swum, but it is really fun. The team is fun to be around, Mr. Willy is a great coach, and you really get faster as the season goes on,” says Whittle.

As the other co-captain, I would have to agree with my companions. Few sports are as demanding as swimming, and just as few are as rewarding. It is truly remarkable to look back at how much I’ve improved over the course of four years, and it feels grand. As an added bonus, you get to wear whatever haircut you want for a day since it all comes off for your final meet of the year. This year, we’re all hoping that meet is State, and with a lot of hard work, we will succeed.