By Adrianna Clinton
Co-Editor-in-Chief

After a long season of grueling morning and evening practices, the Red Lion swim team fared well against their Division I opponents this season, and sent many to the YAIAA Championships, as well as the District III competition.

The girls finished with a league record of 4-1 and overall finished 7-2, earning them second in Division I only to Dallastown, whose boys and girls have won the league title every year since 2009. Their brightest moment, however, came against a team on senior night who defeated them last season in a heartbreaker.

“It was kind of sad but it made us want to beat them more...we had trained all year, hoping to win our Central York meet as the underdogs and we did,” senior Anne Mitzel said.

Other highlights for the girls team include when senior Courtney Schaefer broke a Spring Grove pool record en route to a victory against the Rockets in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:08.64, with the original record being 2:09.93.

While the boys were not so victorious against Central York, their season was just shy of the same success the girls experienced, finishing 3-2 in their division and 6-3 overall.

“We lost a lot of talent with Eli (Aggen), Chance (King), Callum (Brandt), and Alex (Clark). The team really stepped up every meet. We lost to [York] Suburban by one point, and lost to Dallastown and Central, who are the best of the best,” senior Deion Prince said.

For several seniors, their swimming career will not end at Red Lion, but instead they will be moving on to the collegiate level. Courtney Schaefer and Anne Mitzel will both be swimming in college at Division I Georgia Southern and Division III Messiah College, respectively, and Nick Petrella will attend Elizabethtown College and swim.

Seniors moving onto districts in individual competition include Nick Petrella, Colin Sload-Diehl, Courtney Schaefer, and Amira Washington-Myers. Notably, junior Dyan North is seeded No. 1 in District III in the 500-yard freestyle, with a time of 4:44.58.

By Brooks Argento
Staff Writer

Red Lion swimmers splash into the water at the peak of sunrise, as they prepare for an early workout beginning at 5:30 am Mondays and Wednesdays. The swim team is the only team to arrive to school early for pre-school practices.

When asked about her feelings towards the morning practices Sophomore Emma Rinehart said. “They are tough but I know we need something to push us to the next level.”
   
This year’s swimming team returns a group which contributed to a 4-3 season for the girls, and a 3-4 season for the boys. This year will mark new leadership for both squads as the teams are now under the direction of new head coach Chris Doemland and Assistant Coach Kirsten Petrella.

This team returns most of their starters from last season, including Chance King, Dylan North, Callum Brandt, and Eli Aggen. These of which make up the 4x4 medley relay team that last year broke the school record on their way to districts last year.
   
The girls team returns very experienced names including Morgan Grove, Courtney Schaefer, and Emma Rinehart.  A highly anticipated freshman by the name of Jessica Sun will be joining the ranks for the girls as well.
   
The season kicked off Dec. 12, 2013 with a home meet against New Oxford.

By Adrianna Clinton
Copy Editor

The atmosphere of swimming that meets in Red Lion’s natatorium is like that of no sport event I have ever attended.

As the swimmers get set to jump in, complete silence fills the air. The moment they enter the water, chaos erupts from the crowd. Each time the swimmer comes up for air, their teammates scream at the top of their lungs, “GO!”

If the race is close, the volume of the fans’ cheers increases to an almost deaf-like level. Even the individuals such as myself who are not very familiar with the world of swimming can feel their anxiety rise as the race comes to a close finish.

Many are not aware of the work that the swimmers put in prior to their meets. Each week, they have three days of dry land, where they run...and run...then run some more. Then they head into the pool, where they typically swim between 3,000-6,000 yards, burning anywhere between 900-1,500 calories.

A common misconception most people have about swim meets are that they have adults who set up the pool for them. This is incorrect. Sophomore Anne Mitzel, who has been competitively swimming for five years, says the work is done by the swimmers. “The lane lines, the flags over the pool...that’s all done by us.”

She went on to elaborate upon that the team greatly appreciates acknowledgement from students and the large attendance they have been having at home.