Marauders Start Season Swimmingly
Swimmers at their first Hanover meet. Photo courtesy of Sarah Aronson
By Sandy Yu
Hanover High has had a proud tradition of excellence in both academics and athletics. This holds true for one of Hanover’s newest (relatively speaking) sports: swimming. The Hanover Swim Team was created by a group of dedicated swimmers and parents. Since then, it has grown from a fledgling number of swimmers to one of the biggest sports in Hanover, with more than eighty swimmers participating during 2010.
The Hanover Swim Team excels not only in the pool, but out of it as well: the team has received the NHIAA sportsmanship award for four consecutive years. The men’s team has placed third in the New Hampshire state meet and the women’s team ninth, showing that Hanover can hold its own against other schools in heated competition. The Hanover Swim Team has other traditions, in addition to excellent sportsmanship: many swimmers partake in “McFlurry Thursday.” This involves traveling to McDonald’s and ordering McFlurries after a hard practice on Thursday.
The Marauders hosted their first meet of the 2011 season on Friday, December 9, at the Witherell Recreation Center Pool in Lebanon (the Marauders usually host at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center, but did not do so this time because the pool was being used by the local club team). Although the meet was slow to start due to technical difficulties, this first meet of the season went swimmingly for the Marauders as they outraced swimmers from Lebanon, John Stark Regional, and Bishop Brady High Schools in the majority of the events.
The Marauders placed with many firsts and seconds, and many swimmers (Parker Goss, Ziqi Wang, Neha Garg, Sandy Yu, Katie Brechbuhl, Corrie Presland-Byrne, Katie Aman, and Brendan Forauer) qualified for the NHIAA State Meet, which takes place during February of 2012, in about two months’ time.
Even as we honor those who performed extraordinarily during this meet, let us not forget the rest of the Hanover swimmers, who were tireless in their supportive efforts. The team stayed at the pool until the very last event of the meet to cheer on the last racers, even when people from other schools started to leave.
There is a wonderful sense of camaraderie about the Hanover Swim Team. Swimmers of all abilities are welcome: it doesn’t matter whether they are close to making a national time cut, or if they are new to the sport. Old or new, the Marauders welcome everyone.
If you want to get a better sense of what the Hanover Swim Team is, feel free to talk to any one of this year’s captains: James Washington, Steve Gofer, and Rachel Finlayson. They have been on the team for most of their high school careers.
The Marauders have meets most every Friday evening. If you don’t mind the smell of chlorine—or even if you do—feel free to come and cheer on your team. We’ll be glad to have you.
The HHS Swim Team. Photo courtesy of Sarah Aronson
