On the surface, it may appear as though the BSM boys’ swimming team has not had a successful season. Hobbled early on by low numbers and a relatively young team, their current record (1-7) does not accurately reflect either the ability or the talent of the team. Anchored by a strong nucleus of juniors and seniors, the team hopes to finish the season strongly and prove that they are better than their record shows.
Compared to the other schools in the state, the BSM boys’ swim team is comparably new. While traditional swimming powers like Edina and St. Thomas Academy have had swimming teams for over 30 years, BSM’s team was formed in only 2004. “The families at BSM were really pushing for a guys [swimming] squad,” said head coach Damon Carrison.
The number of swimmers on the team this season is uncharacteristically low. Past teams have had as many as 30 members, but this year’s team only has 19. “Our team is pretty small compared to other years,” said junior JD Quinby. “It would definitely help to have more people on the team.”
Of the current team’s 19 members, over half are sophomores or younger. While this could be seen as a detriment to the team, the team members choose to look at it as a positive attribute. “We’ve got a lot of young talent,” said junior team captain Sean Harrington. “They all should be really good when they’re older.”
Despite the low number of swimmers, the team has had a moderate amount of success this season. In addition to a fourth place finish at the North Suburban Conference relays and a win against Columbia Heights, many swimmers have won or finished well in individual races. “We’re swimming well,” said Carrison. “The neat thing about an individual sport like swimming is that participants can have success by themselves.”
“We’ve had a lot of different swimmers win or come close to winning races,” said Quinby. Those who have won races thus far include Quinby, senior captain Joe Hollenback, and freshman Jack McGinn. “We’ve also had a couple relay teams that have done well this season.”
As for the rest of the season, Carrison is looking ahead to the upcoming conference, section, and state meets. “I’d like to see us improve as a team in our scoring ability,” said Carrison. “We should pick up a couple more wins in our conference and have a good finish.”
The team members are also excited for the remainder of the season. “I’m pumped for sections and state this year,” said Quinby. “I think that we should do pretty well.”
With regards to the future of the team, Carrison hopes to establish a strong foundation on which to build a tradition of success. “We have to enhance the demands put on ourselves as a squad,” said Carrison. “It’s our fifth season, and we can no longer be called a new team, or a team that is expected to be soft.”
