Morning swim is open to all Williston students. The majority of the lanes are populated by members of the swim team, however there are several non-swimmers who also attend for fun.

In the month leading up to swim season, the pool has been available to students every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:45 to 8:00. While it might sound miserable, some Williston students have been dutifully rolling out of bed and attending these practices.

Head swimming coach David Koritkoski, the organizer of open swim, said “it’s a nice time for people to get in the water out of season with no stress.”

One of the critical factors to be successful in swimming is a strong aerobic base, something that takes far longer than a four-month season to build. Two-time school record holder Sam Haddad ’20, who swims year around and plays water polo in the fall, said, “I’m able to stay in good shape through[out] the whole year, and morning swim helps me maintain that schedule.”

Others are more focused on community than competition. “I like morning swim because I like getting up early and doing exercise with my friends before school,” said Ella Mattocks ’22.

“It just gets me excited for swim season,” said Ella’s morning swim partner, Sarah Kimmel ’20. “We have a really great bond between the boys team and the girls team, and I know a lot of people struggle through winter, but in my opinion it’s the best season because of swimming.”

Shogo Kamei ’20 has a different angle on the benefits of morning swim. Due to its lack of structure, he sees it as “a good time to use equipment”. Swimmers typically use a wide range of gadgets to hone their technique, from flippers and paddles to snorkels and drag chutes.

“I think that the equipment really help me stay motivated which is something I struggle with a lot,” said Shogo. “This summer in California, when we used training tools, my coach would always give me something to focus and think about during practice, and my technique really got better.”

Alan Martin ’20 lifeguards all the swim sessions including Wednesday’s teacher swim. “I like doing it becomes it makes me happy that I can enable people to swim, and have a good start to their day,” he said.

As swim season nears, everyone is racing to be in shape.