Reflecting on a year of personal growth, challenges, and new goals, the Nixa High School Girl’s swim and dive team finish up their winter season, while the boys’ team celebrated their accomplishments at state.
Sophomore Kylie appreciates all the effort put in by the new coaches, highlighting their role in her success so far.
“It was a big change at first, but I do think she’s doing a good job,” Kylie said. “I do think everyone can learn and improve the same even with a new coach.”
Avens said she had a strong desire to continue growing not only as an individual but also by helping others reach their limits.
“My goals are to improve myself and to also help others improve,” Avens said. “I enjoy competition in relays because it’s a group effort and I want to continue to get better in events like the 500 [in free style].”
Head coach of the Boys and Girls Swim team, Jordan Boyce said it is difficult leading a team while maintaining a small roster.
“The swimmers we do have are awesome, and they get along so well,” Boyce said. “I would just love to keep building it and have a bigger team.”
While reflecting on the season’s accomplishments, there were a few students who stood out.
“Kylie Avens got to swim at finals and had personal bests in her races, ” Boyce said. “I love seeing them try new things and actually figure out that they enjoyed the new stuff.”
Boyce said he hopes to promote the program further and encourage more participation.
“My goal is to show how much fun swimming can be and to build the program,” Boyce said. “I’d like to see more involvement and some collaboration between the boys’ and girls’ teams together and eventually get fans to come to our meets.”
Sophomore Rylan Bell, had a season of improvement, qualifying for state in multiple relay events. his journey started as a way to stay fit and challenge himself with a full-body workout.
“Over time, my hobby evolved into more of a fun, competitive way to get fit.” Bell said. “It’s very fulfilling but also challenging, I’ve learned the value of hard work through swim.”
Aside from the physical aspects, Bell feels he has also gained strong friendships that make swimming worth it.
“I’ve built fantastic friendships in my swim group,” Bell said. “A few have graduated but I’m still in touch with some of them.”
His accomplishments this season were a direct result of the support his coaches and teammates provide.
“My coaches helped me realize swimming is something competitive and serious that I should focus on,” Bell said “It really helped me advance my swimming and my teammates have always been helpful and supportive.”
Bell said he’s shocked when looking back at the results of their state competition.
“I didn’t expect to make state this year either, but I got [to] state in almost all of my relays,” Bell said. “It just blew my mind. State was really fun to participate in, and my team was so much fun to hang out with.”
For senior Quinn Cates, who ranked first on the team, the season was one of both personal and team accomplishments.
“I try to think realistically and set goals based on those expectations,” Cates said. “As a team, we wanted to make it to state, which we did, but as an individual, I wanted to improve my time. So all of my goals this season have been reached.”
Since joining, Cates has taken on more of a leadership role, helping guide and support his other teammates. He was proud of how the team has evolved over the years and said he hopes it will continue to grow in the future.
“I wish people knew that swim isn’t that hard, it’s not that hard to compete in or get in so if you’re interested you might as well try it,” Cates said.
Despite the challenges, the Nixa team remains optimistic for the future. “My coaches really motivated me and helped me see my potential,” Bell said. “I think we could have done better but overall, it wasn’t the worst. I’m proud of what we did at state.”