The Potomac Falls swim team has been remarkable, remaining undefeated the past four seasons. The team has ran the table the past four seasons, claiming the district title all four years. With an undefeated streak like this you would think some of the swimmers would be nervous, but that is not the case for some of the team

“It is not that much pressure because you, as yourself cannot really change that much,” said junior Wes Jamison.

However, getting ready to start a race, standing behind the block waiting to start can evoke some nerves.

“It is intimidating sometimes…for me I get nervous during the breaststroke because it is not my best and when you come up out of the water, you can hear everyone cheering,” said junior Ben Ortt.

Experience is big in a situation like this. Leaders will emerge, and help the younger swimmers who are not as familiar with what it is like to compete at the varsity level.

“I have been swimming 15 years, I started as a child, so I like to think of myself as someone who should help out the younger guys,” said Ortt.

Although Ortt is not a first year swimmer, there are first year Potomac Falls swimmers who have less experience swimming.

“I swam year round in elementary school, but now I only swim during the summer,” said junior Christian Tessman.

It helps that everyone on the team is a relatively experienced swimmer because that way the team can get down to what they need to work on right away. Without needing to re teach the basics to some of the new swimmers.

The swim team is coming off a coaching change. Last season the former Potomac Falls swim coach left leaving a void to be filled. The veteran swimmers helped the new coach onto their feet as they knew what it took and what their routine was like.

“Not much has changed, but the practices are a lot more demanding than they were in the past,” said Jamison.

Swim meets are not like any other sporting event. They are fairly long and definitely a little draining, so you have to make sure you stay alert and you are ready to go when it’s time for your event.

“[A typical meet] is about two hours and we leave three hours because coach likes to get there early, and we warm up. Then everyone swims their events then there is a 15 minute break and after the break you swim 500’s, which is the longest event. They take about ten minutes each,” said Ortt.

Even though continuing a four year long undefeated streak is hard work, there is definitely some room for fun. Heading over to IHOP has become a tradition among the team after a win or any meet in the past four years. It brings the team together and lets them reflect on everything that happened at the meet.

“My favorite part of being on the team is definitely hanging out with friends at IHOP after a long meet,” said Tessman.