The air ran thick as every swim captain stood on the starting blocks, taking their marks. Every practice and every meet has led them up to this moment; not their final meets, but their last first meet. Captains Keira Everett (12) and Declan Corcoran (12) swam the first race of their final season at LCHS before graduating.
Everett hadn’t felt like the meet was strictly focused on the competition, for her, the meet allowed her to reflect her journey throughout the time she’s been swimming on a school team. She notes everyone’s performance.
“I’m the most proud of our relay performance. We’ve done really well in the past and now we’re even better,” Everett said.
For Corcoran, this was not his first time playing the captain role on the swim team. Corcoran chose to serve again and found that there was a massive shift between his first time participating and his current time.
“I mean I was already a captain before, like I said, but this feels alot different. Since I’m at the top, I don’t really have anyone else to look up to anymore. I am the one that has to make people look up to me. It feels really important that I have a much larger role, in terms of being a really good role model, especially for the middle schoolers and setting an example for how to act,” Corcoran said.
Given this will be Corcoran’s second time acting captain, he offers his own advice to captains following him.
“Take it seriously, don’t write it off as it just being another thing. At the end of the day, you’re being a really big role model to everyone else. Especially the middle schoolers who look up to you, you’re being someone that people can look up to and have a positive role model,” Corcoran said.
These two LCHS captains prepare for the rest of the season. While both have a different general view, they can agree on their excitement of leading the rest of their teammates down this season. With the first meet behind them, they only intend to improve their ability and end their season with a big splash.
