It’s been a busy season for the boy’s swim team so far, with a meet against SLUH on September 6th, and a meet last Wednesday, where they went up against John Burroughs in Ladue. 

Friday’s meet was an expected, but still disappointing loss. SLUH has a large team made up of lots of state-level swimmers, posing a challenging meet for FHC. A swimmer that is skilled enough to compete at the state level is considered a state swimmer.

“It’s gonna be tough because [SLUH] has more state swimmers than we do swimmers in general,” Senior Tristan Wren said.

This season’s team has undergone some major changes since last year. With new coaches, loss of last year’s seniors, and freshman joining the team, they’ve had a lot of adjusting to do but are still competing at their best, embracing the changes as an opportunity for growth. Senior Andy Lippincott discussed some changes on this year’s team.

“Some seniors aren’t here anymore and there was a coaching change. So now we have a little bit of a different coaching style as well as some new people,” Lippincott said.

The team’s new coaches, FHC alumni Alison Strickler and Robin Hussey, replaced Jacob Froeschner after 4 years leading the team. Senior Adam Decker provided some insight about Strickler’s coaching style.

“They’ve been working with us a lot, and I feel like they’ve definitely helped out with the team a lot. They’re more strict than the last coach. They focus a lot on little things like getting in the water on time, which is a good thing. And they’re really working with our strokes more,” Decker said. 

Despite the challenges of adjustment, the team is working together to put their best foot forward.

For more information on meets, visit MSHAA’s website.

And for stories about last year team and how they inspire teammates today, refer to this related article.