FOX 47

The memories that we gain during our time in high school are some of those that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. It was Friday after 7th hour at the Senior Wall, the bell had just rung and two senior members of the swim team, James Wanke and Kasey Kinney, recently sat down and let flow some of the best memories of their 2007 2008 senior season.

Kasey kicked things off with a light-hearted fondness in his voice as he recalled some of the seasons pre-meet spaghetti dinners. Not only did they take these opportunities to load up on valuable carbohydrates or to mentally prepare for the next day’s battles but also as important team bonding time. Wanke was quick to add that one of the most memorable activities was the euchre games “before practice, after practice and all the time really” though that was not the only bonding experience that they took part in.

“At the end of the year the big team bonding thing is that we all shave our heads.” said Wanke with a small chuckle. When asked why you may see only some members of the team temporarily bald, such as Ezra Ewen’s unique shave job and Kasey’s full mop of bleached blonde hair, Kinney was there with the answer as fast as a whip and a sly smile “All of our Junior Varsity guys shave before conference and our Varsity guys shave before sectionals. We’ll all end up the same though so don’t worry.” After all of the talk of these light-hearted memories the conversation shifted towards the more competitive side.

“Swimming against West and Memorial were low points,” Wanke stated, “but Middleton was a high point. We almost beat them and we haven’t done that in about 10 years.” If you ask any of the guys about their losses to those three extremely tough teams you can rest assured that you will hear of their valiant efforts.

That effort paid off greatly when James proudly admitted that the team’s record was “Four and three” and added that they have not had a winning record in some time. That fact alone is enough to justify the twinkle in their eyes.

If you get the chance sometime before the year’s end, stop and ask one of the young men of the swim team how they made out at the end of the season. How they grew as a team and how they grew as men. You will surely hear more stories like these. They may even use some of that old swimmer’s charm and recruit you for next season’s team. One thing is for sure, the team has a very bright future a head of them but just as any other super crew they can always use some more up and coming talent.

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