By Mackenzie Madison
<[email protected]>

For the past 23 years, the Carmel women’s swim team has consecutively claimed the title of State champion. This year, for the prospective 24th win, the team seeks to compete, rather than compare. Katherine “Katie”  Vogel, varsity swimmer and junior, said, “Although we have the record for most consecutive state titles in a row, we are extremely pumped, and hoping we can get number 24.”

Head Coach Chris Plumb said, “Our main focus this year is to be a ‘triple impact competitor,’ and what I mean by that is we want to make ourselves better, our teammates better and the sport better.” He added, “I think this bigger thinking is going to help us be the best that we can with the current people we have on the team. I do not think we should look at being better than last year’s team, but rather only focusing on being the best that we can be.”

Additionally, the team has slightly altered its off-season training to keep the swimmers motivated. Devon Mason, varsity swimmer and junior, said, “This year we made some big changes to our dryland workouts. We had a fitness trainer come in and show us some different exercises. Also, our seniors have planned some get-togethers to help us come together more as a team.” 

Plumb said he thinks the team’s success stems from elements beyond practice. He said, “I think the factors that contribute to the success of the team are a caring, knowledgeable, experienced staff, a group of highly motivated athletes and a team culture that breeds success.”

Mason said she believes success is a result of attitude and individual motivation. “I think our attitude is a big factor in our success. There’s going to be a day when you do not want to get up at 5 (a.m.) and race your hardest, but your teammates are there to get you through tough times,” Mason said. “Also, our experience with the sport is helpful. Some of us have been swimming together since we were 10, and we know how to handle the stress at big meets.”

Vogel said there is no question that the motivation is still there. Plumb said he agrees. He said, “The girls we have on the team haven’t won 23 championships, so each of them have a strong motivation to swim their best a the end of the year.”

Although Vogel said the motivation is still there, she also said that there are some important things the team needs to keep in mind to continue to its 24th title. “In times like these, its really easy to get ahead of ourselves,” Vogel said. “The big prize (of winning State) is always on our minds, but we have to remember that we have a whole season ahead of ourselves and that there are a lot of things we need to work on before getting (to State). We don’t just show up , jump in the pool and win automatically. It takes a lot of hard work and practice. We just need to focus on improving to make winning our 24th title easier.”

Plumb said he cannot predict the outcome of this season or how long the team’s success will continue because it is premature. Plumb said, “I can only speak about this year, and so far we are off to a great start.”