The entirety of 2020 has been like something out of a movie: the shutting down of the entire world, the social distancing, the masks, and even e-learning.  Out of everything that has been forced to evolve throughout this year, there have been many things that have had to change drastically in the Loyola Community, one of them being sports.  

Swimming, one of the few sports that was able to have a season this year, took place in a way where all the athletes could still have fun while at a safe distance.  The teams were made smaller, the meets were virtual, and the end of the year banquet was live streamed for parents to see.  

The virtual meets, though there were a small number of them, were very odd.  The teams swam in separate pools and shared results through technology.  When the parents of the swimmers went to watch the meets, which were either broadcasted on zoom or a live stream, they could only see the girls from Loyola swim.

When speaking to some of the girls on the team, I asked them about both the meets this season as well as the practices.  One girl, who was on the swim team last year, Tina Barone, told me that the meets were less nerve wracking this year because they were virtual, but the experience of racing against the people next to you can’t be topped. 

When asked about practices, Tina, who is also on crew, said that the practices, which were spread out to make sure there were less girls in the pool, made being a member of two sports teams much easier. 

I also interviewed Izzy Silva, a freshman on this year’s swim team, who answered the same questions as Tina.  When asked about the meets, she said that she thought that the meets ran very smoothly and that they were loads of fun.  She also added that the meets were great for team building.  When asked about practices, she said that she felt the practices were fun and they made her work hard.  

This season, all of the coaches truly did their part to make sure that everyone was able to have a good time while still staying within the safety guidelines.  Practices and meets, though they were far from what we’d consider “normal,” were made possible and enjoyable by all the coaches who helped to run swim team this year.

Though this season had a million bumps in the road, not just for the girls who are a part of swim team, but for anyone who takes part in a sport, the experience that this has given to all athletes is one the athletes are sure to never forget.