Along with a new head coach comes yet another change for Packer girls swimming: new standards for lettering. The change was announced about a week before the season started, and the athletes had varying opinions.
Head coach Sally Saunter decided to make the times for receiving a letter in swimming faster than the times the athletes need to qualify for state competition. Specifically for short distance events, such as the 50 meter open, the times for lettering are as much as two seconds faster than state qualifying times.
She has also done away with the tradition of lettering due to the number of years an athlete has been on the team. Because of this any sophomore who has been swimming since the seventh grade but had not qualified for state, will not be lettering this year.
“The changes occurred because the school needs to better recognize outstanding [swimmers],” Saunter said.
According to sophomore Emily Bourassa, the general reaction at the announcement of this lettering change had been surprise and shock among her teammates. Bourassa had already lettered in the past so to her, this change will be even more incentive to work hard and go the distance, during both practice and meets.
“I have goals to achieve, and so working hard during practice makes sure that I achieve those goals,” said Bourassa.
Senior Ivy Mittelsteadt worries that new swimmers may be discouraged by the higher standards. She had lettered in the past, but in her eyes the change may be too much pressure early on for beginning swimmers.
“People may just hear that time and want to give up,” Mittelsteadt said. “When you first join swimming and you hear [lettering] times and see your own time, you may just think ‘I will never get that.”
Mittelsteadt went on and explained that she does believe, the younger swimmers will eventually recognize the higher standard and be able to meet the demand. For the most part there has not been any outcry from the younger swimmers over the changes. The team has not experienced loss of athletes directly because of the new standards as well.