From junior Swimmer to freshman diver: Double Personal Sports Profile #10

This junior swimmer has witnessed a couple of changes in her three years of swimming for the Bulldogs, primarily because of the new rosters of swimmers on her two teams.

Sarah Winternheimer has been swimming for the Bulldogs since her freshman year, in all she has had nine years of experience.  

“I’ve been swimming since I was seven,” Winternheimer said.

Winternheimer also swims for another swim team and she highly recommends new swimmers to join.

“I swim for Pacesetter Aquatics in the offseason and I would definitely recommend it because it’s a good environment; and the teammates are great. The coach Mike Pepa is really good,” Winternheimer said. “

She says her main goal this year for swimming is to perform well at sectionals.

“I’m going to try to get second place at sectionals,” Winternheimer said. “I would be happy with that.”

When reflecting on the personal goals that have been accomplished, Winternheimer could only think of one.

“I’ve tried to get top three at sectionals and I’ve done that once, so I guess I got that goal,” Winternheimer said. “I haven’t reached some of my goals, but I just use that as motivation to try to get it next time,” Winternheimer said.

Winternheimer considers swimming to be an underappreciated sport because of the lack of attention swimming gets.

 “We don’t get the same amount of attention as some of the other sports, but I think we put in the same amount of effort, so it’s not really fair that we’re kind of overlooked,” Winterheimer said.

In order to expose the sport a little bit more, Winternheimer thinks that getting the word out is the way to do it.

“I think we could probably tell more people, like when our meets are and try to get more people involved,” Winternheimer said. “And most people don’t know how it works so they’re not interested in it because it’s less popular to see on tv, opposed to basketball or football.”

As much as swimming in high school has provided opportunities for her, she says she is unsure whether she’ll pursue swimming in college.

“I think that if I wanted to, I probably could pursue it in college, but I’m not sure as of right now,” Winternheimer said. “Rather I will, of not.”

Her advice for  freshman next year: “I would tell them to enjoy it, because it goes by really fast,” Winternheimer said. “I remember my freshman year when one of the seniors was like, ‘You’ll be a senior in no time’ and I was like, ‘that’s so far away.’ Now I’m ending my junior season and it feels like just yesterday, that I was a freshman.”

Across the pool, this freshman plans to end his first year of diving with the Bulldogs with a bang.

Gavin Hether has been diving for two years since he was thirteen.

He says his main personal goal for this year is “getting my varsity letter and working harder.”

Hether reflects on his performance thus far.

“So far they’ve been working out,” Hether said. “The only thing that hasn’t succeeded is my reverse (dive).”

As far as Hether’s concerned, he doesn’t consider diving to be an underappreciated sport.

“There’s a lot of people that do it and it is challenging,” Hether said.

He says if he were to expose the sport a little bit more, he would “get out and get more programs going.”

When comparing swimming and diving, Hether sayst swimming overshadows diving.

 “Because they don’t really give more appreciation for the divers, like how much they should,” Hether said.

Hether hopes to continue diving when he goes to college.

The advice Hether would pass to any incoming freshmen next year, would be: “to have a good mindset,” Hether said.