Senior Earl Lara knows how much dedication it takes to be a swimmer.  Since he was a little tyke swimming for the Peak Waves, he’s been sacrificing for the good of the sport and the team.  Lara has been swimming on the CMR varsity team since his freshman year, giving up all those winter activities he could be doing.

“For starters, we forfeit our winter breaks, at which we have both morning and afternoon practices; including dry land training,” Lara said.

Dry land training is done in a gym or weight room, working on resistance and cardio outside of the pool’s borders.  Swimmers use nearly every single muscle in their body when they swim, so it is naturally important to keep their entire body healthy, which becomes a full-time job.

After Christmas break, regular practices resume from Monday to Friday.  Results follows practices Monday and Wednesday, morning practice Tuesday and Thursday and weight lifting takes place every day after practice. 

“We also monitor our diets, managing our calorie, fat, and water intake. In essence much more than I can express in words alone,” Lara said.

 The team faced a minor setback this year because it lost a few of the most prominent varsity members at the end of last season.  Lara is confident that the team has not been fazed by this.

“It’s a transition phase that we undergo every year.  Returning swimmers bring experience, and new swimmers add to the passion, becoming champions,” he said.

  Lara said he is proud of the team’s performance thus far and believes the girls just might take state again.

  “The girls have the talent and drive to grab a third championship title, a milestone for CMR Swimming.  The boys team, on the other hand, we have more work ahead of us; competition is more intense, as other teams have more depth and more swimmers,” Lara said.  “With that in mind, I believe my team has the talent and will to succeed.  In addition, our coaches have been unrelenting to position us in that direction.”

 Senior team captain Ryanne Daily could not agree more with Lara.

 “I definitely think that the girls will take state again,” she said.

With the girls sporting a perfect season record, the facts support her prediction.

“We have won every meet this year, without anyone ever getting within 100 points of our score,” Daily said.

 Both members of the team are confident that this season will come to a close with just as much of a powerful ending as they have seen in the past, if not better.

“There is always the aspect of lessons learned from past years, in which we build our team and strategy,” Lara said.  “We remain strong, in order to be a top contender at state.”

The team conquered the competition at the Missoula Invite on Jan. 23, both boys and girls taking first place.

The cross-town battle will commence at the Great Falls High pool Feb. 2 at 6 p.m.

Practicing their kicks, CMR swimmers travel up and down the lane during a Monday practice. Photo by Meg Smith.

CMR swimmers return after a powerful last season

by Meg Smith

After winning state two times in a row, the Great Falls swim team, GFHS swimmers and CMR swimmers combined, are hoping to make it a three peat. The swimmers practice five days a week for two and a half hours a night to achieve this goal.

 “It’s definitely a commitment you have to be willing to make, “varsity swimmer Skye Ljunggren said. Swimming is more of a lifestyle than an afterschool activity, she added.

And while swimming is a solo sport, the swimmers are still all a part of one team.

“You race for yourself, but you swim for the team,” varsity swimmer Hannah Swant said.

The boys’ team lost by only a couple points last year, and assistant coach Julie Anderson said, “they could surprise people again this year.” Anderson says she has high hopes for both her boys and her girls.

“I have very high expectations for the CMR girls this year,” Anderson said. She believes that they can take home the gold once more.

The CMR girls held up to these expectations during their meet in Havre on Dec. 11.

“They did exactly what we wanted them to do,” said Anderson.

They beat Havre, Kalispell, and Glacier by 200 points while the boys finished a strong fourth.

Judging by their first meet, Anderson feels confident about the rest of the season.

Senior Overload

It will be a sad graduation day for the CMR swim team this year, as they have 13 seniors on the team between the boys and the girls.

           “We only lost two seniors last year on our men’s team, and we have three promising new bloods on JV, plus the team as a whole has been stepping up to better themselves,” said senior varsity swimmer Earl Lara. “I am certain we can sweep state.”

Lara isn’t the only one who has a good feeling about this year’s team. Ljunggren says,“I think that this is going to be a good year for the seniors. We have a lot of seniors, but I think it will make them determined to try their hardest.”

          And while this year’s team is strong, many worry about what can happen to a team after it loses many of its

seniors and strongest swimmers. But Anderson, assistant coach, isn’t worried. “The CMR girls have a lot of depth,” she said, “down to the youngest swimmers.”

Anderson thinks the CMR girls are strong all the way down to their youngest swimmers.

Hairy to Hairless

The swim team may be shaving off seconds but they aren’t shaving off hair. At least they won’t be for the next four months.

          CMR swimmers are making the pledge to stay hairy until state.  There the girls will have the relief of shaving, and the boys will have the painful task of going smooth.

But keeping the hair doesn’t bother Swant.

“Honestly, it’s exciting. You know that you are taking part in tradition, and that you are part of the team,” she said. 

          Waiting until state to shave is an age old tradition for the swimmers at CMR. And surprisingly, many of the swimmers don’t mind the odd practice. Nicole Thompson, a sophomore varsity swimmer, said, “To not shave for so long really isn’t so bad…after you get over being hairy.”

          But many of non-swimmers might ask, why aren’t they allowed to shave their legs? It isn’t some joke the coaches have decided to play on the swimmers. The friction in the water created by the hairy legs actually hinders the swimmer, making them work harder. By working harder all year, they grow stronger. Then by the time state comes, they are so used to the extra friction that they tear through the water and their times go down.

Lara says, “I guess I do look forward to shaving. I find it somewhat playful to have hairless, smooth legs.”

The swimmers are in it to win it and showing their ultimate dedication through the lengths they are willing to travel for their sport.