By: Alyssa Volkers
Competitive swimming is one of the most demanding sports, requiring unwavering discipline and dedication and the Hamilton Boys Swim team exemplifies both. The boys brought this dedication with pure grit. They strive to better themselves and win in a sport that is them against 30 people who have the same mindset.
The boys push themselves and each other to be pushed harder than the other person. The Hamilton Boys Swim and Dive team strives to outwork their competition.
This swim season was about winning. Spending 20 plus hours in the water a week and swimming 5.5 miles every day. The constant repetition gets old and boring, but what keeps the boys motivated is the reward.
“The sport gives back what you put in and as long as you persevere you will achieve great things,” said Landen Maattman, senior 100 backstroke state swimmer.
During the swim season, the boys have to do much more out of the water then they do in the water. Watching how they treat their body, eating appropriate foods, and getting enough rest. If even one teammate doesn’t do anything for their body outside the water it could hurt the team as a whole, causing them to perform lower than their full potential.
Living off the idea of doing the things your competitors aren’t is what keeps the Hamilton boy’s swim and dive team striving for greatness. Pushing themselves beyond limits others avoid striving for.
“Practicing the small things,” said Owen Lewis, senior 50 and 100 free state swimmer.
Becoming a perfectionist in the small things and technique is the difference between good and great. This is something that Coach Matt Oonk focuses on. By being great at the small things everything else will fall into place.
By practicing the things that the team is not great at or uncomfortable with has a great mental challenge. Owen Lewis brings up how they have to work on breath control, underwater work, and long aerobic workouts to improve themselves. Also commenting on the mental toll that these workouts have on them.
The team will compete at the MHSAA state meet on March 14-15 at Eastern University where they will dominate their competition.