Making a Splash: Freshmen Varsity Swimmers Take the Plunge into Success

By: Donya Hassanshahi and Karli Branson

Freshmen participants of the Redwood Varsity Boys and Girls swim teams elaborate on their journey as a swimmer from childhood to now.

The Redwood High School Varsity Boys and Girls swim teams has welcomed four freshmen members to their team for the 2022-2023 season.

These members include: Tyson Philips, ’26, Wyatt Mueller, ’26, Bella Garrett, ’26, and Emily Dean, ’26.

Philips has been swimming a little over eight years. At a young age, his parents had him involved with TNT swim for club. Since then, he has continued with the sport at Redwood.

At meets, his events consist of the 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle, and 100 butterfly.

Philips says his most memorable moment for the season occurred during a preseason meet, “The most memorable moment was my last swim meet when I made my own P.R. [personal record] with a 5:45 for the 500 free[style].”

He did not initially know he was going to be pulled up to varsity. During practice the morning before a meet, Philips says his coach was “…asking all the other kids what they wanted to swim and he didn’t call my name, so he put me in the events he wanted to put me. Then, he said he did that because I was going to be pulled up to varsity.”

Philips says a word he would to describe the experience as is “subtle”.

As a high school athlete, Philips says he participates for two reasons. “It’s really, for high school, hanging out with friends. The swim meets are always really fun and they really push me to do better and improve on my times.”

He says that the sensation swim gives him is “…really fun. Like I said: you get to hang out with your friends—but when you’re swimming in the moment it’s really challenging and kind of stressful—but it’s always a really fun time.”

Mueller began swimming around ages five or six. He was involved with recreational swim from ages six to fourteen, stopping sometime last year.

The events he participates in during meets consists of the 100 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 medley relay, and 200 freestyle relay.

Considering he also a member of water polo, Mueller says, “It’s nice to have people I know from polo come to swim and still have them with me to help each other out.”

In the upcoming four years, he looks to continue the sport. Being on varsity as a freshman, Mueller says that “…it’s an honor to be on it.”

By achieving this level, he says, “I feel like it’s going to make me work harder and be better at swim by seeing upperclassmen being faster and better than me, so it’ll help me out by pushing my limits.”

His motivation lies in his friends and teammates. Mueller says that his friends “…help [him] out and inspire [him] to do better.”

Garrett has been swimming since the ages of two or three. In Visalia, she has been on the TNT swim team from ages twelve to fourteen.

Her events consist of the 200 IM and 100 butterfly when competing.

When reflecting on having this experience as a freshman, she says, “I’m just really glad because I’ve been swimming for such a long time, so this just feels like a really good opportunity, and I just want to be able to improve my times every more.”

Garrett says that when she was around the age of nine, one of her old coaches ignited the greatest inspiration. “…He trained me a lot in butterfly and he was the first person to have me swim the 400 IM. He really pushed me in doing events I wasn’t confident enough to try on my own.”

Not only did her previous coach encourage her, though Garrett says her teammates motivate her and her attendance at morning practices solidified the bond better them.

As she looks to continue the sport all four years, she says, “In a way, I almost feel obligated to just because I’ve been doing it for my whole life, and it’s definitely not my main priority, but I’m really glad to be able to keep it as a side thing, and it’s really fun.”

Garrett advises students interested in pursuing the sport by stating, “I think you really have to have fun with it, because if you’re not having fun, swim will be a horrible sport. It’s really physically and mentally taxing, so don’t worry about anybody else’s times or if you think that they’re better than you; just focus on where you start and improving yourself.”

Alongside Garrett, Dean is another addition to the Varsity Girls’ swim team.

Dean says, “I have been doing swim, like rec [Buccaneers] swim, since I was like four.” Dean stopped swimming a few years before Covid but became involved with swim again earlier this year.

Dean’s inspiration can be credited to those who have surrounded her over the years. She says, “When I did rec swim, I really liked the head coach and her daughter because I swam with her daughter… She was one of the people who really inspired me because she’s always been really good and really fast, and I was like ‘I just want to be like her,’ so that gives me motivation.”

As for her events Dean swims the 100 butterfly, 400 free relay, 200 freestyle relay, and 50 freestyle.

“It’s a good opportunity. You know, me as a freshman practicing with all these varsity people who have done it for years, it makes me keep up with the speed of everyone else,” says Dean.

With the older girls on the team Dean says, “I kind of feel all the emotions. I like having mentors, there are a few seniors who will give me tips and stuff, so I do enjoy having mentors.”

When asked how she prepares for an event, Dean says, “I think I’m very competitive when it comes to swim, like anyone I swim in a lane with, but everyone has to accept the fact that there’s going to be someone better than you and it’s not like you should use that and turn it into your whole personality.”

Dean says her enjoyment for swim stems from personal motivation, “I tell myself: Don’t be hard on yourself because there are going to be people who are better than you, and you have to accept the fact that people are slower or faster than you. You have to focus on yourself, you have to tell yourself that you can’t give up because you are doing it for you—you’re not doing it for anyone else—and that mental state has to keep you going when your swimming your events because it’s only you—you’re swimming in one lane, everyone is counting on you— but you just got to focus on what you’re doing.”

Dean intends to pursue her swimming career throughout high school and says “because my brothers play water polo and swim at the same time, so I think it’ll be more convenient that way, but I think it will be a really fun experience because it will be a different experience each year.”

Dean is interested to see where she can go time wise with swim. She often asks herself, “What goals can I set now that I can achieve in the next three years of my life?”

Coach for the Varsity Girls swim team, John Buenafe, says, “I think that the freshmen are going to help the boys out considerably.”

“As for the two that are out for the varsity girls, well we needed to fill some sports with all of them who graduated last year, so I think that they are going to do pretty well in that regard.”

Coach Buenafe

Coach Eric Fuller is both the Junior Varsity and Varsity Boys swim coach and is hopeful for the season to come.

The intricate process of choosing which swimmers will make varsity has come natural to Fuller. He says, “Swimming’s based on times, so I can look at a varsity member and look at their time, and if I have somebody who is younger that can outswim that time, then we move them up to varsity.”

Fuller says that there will likely be more freshmen added to the varsity team, “They are slowly improving their times and I have two others I’m looking at right now that definitely can make that jump.”

“I love having them up on varsity because what it does is it allows them to gain some leadership for when they become sophomores and when they become juniors; they know how things run. They know how I want things led, and they see that from the older boys now. It’s fantastic that we have young talent like that to step up.”

Coach Fuller

Given the recent reopening of the Frank Bell Pool, the Redwood swim program has returned to practicing afterschool on campus and held their first home meet of the season on March 24th.

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