Brett Vandenberg: A passionate athlete swimming as a part of Hamilton’s Swim and dive team. Brett, a freshman has been swimming for as long as he remembers. He says,” I started swimming in kindergarten and have been actively pursuing it for the past 10 years.” Brett joined the swim team right away in 5th grade. He says,” My mom forced me to swim until 5th grade, and then I started enjoying the sport.” I think When we get over the fact of hating something because we were forced to do it, we can really enjoy whatever we are doing by looking at the positives and enjoying all the little things. Brett is a great example of this because Brett is still enjoying swimming to this day.
Since his first season, Brett has been an avid swimmer and has continued to be a part of the swim team. But there have been times he wanted to quit. He says, “ I have thought about quitting because it is a very challenging sport that pushes your mental fortitude to the limits.” Although there are times he wants to quit Brett keeps going which has formed the great swimmer he is now. As hard as swimming can be on your mental state swimming is also great for your physical health. Swimming is a great way to stay in shape and keep your mind sharp.
Brett mainly swims in breaststroke but also does freestyle. Brett currently swims in the the 200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke, 50 breaststroke in the medley relay, and 50 freestyle in the 200 freestyle relay. Swimming in the breaststroke has always come naturally to Brett. Brett has been swimming in the breaststroke over the last few years and has made great improvement in his time
Brett has been a good contributing member of the swim team. With the help of his teammates, he has made great improvements. He says, “Jackson Nyhof has helped me the most in my swimming career helping me drop lots of time off of my breaststroke time.” Having other people to help can be a great thing for keeping you accountable and pushing you to your best. Another teammate Brett has looked up to is Carson. Brett says,” Carson McEntire is an athlete I’ve looked up to for his work ethic and his general love for the sport.”
Brett loves everything about swimming, The team, the sport in general, And the coaches. Those are all reasons for the love Brett has for swimming. It is really crazy how a sport like swimming can bring many relationships with good people. Some of these people may even be coaches. Speaking of coaches, Brett’s favorite coach is Matt Oonk due to the similar life experiences they share.
Brett is a one-sport athlete only participating in swim and diving, but outside of school, he enjoys hunting and fishing. Once Brett finishes his high school swimming career He plans on joining the workforce. Brett has no interest in going to college.