By Roxy Bahr and Brienna Burr
Athleticism is not rare if you are a Rasner.
Emelia and Rita Rasner, both class of ‘25, are not only sisters but two of a set triplets here at Redwood High. The two are a part of the Redwood girls varsity team. They have been competing together for quite some time and Emelia talks about how it strengthens their bond. Emelia agrees, “Yes, it builds a bond but it is also very cool to see her compete and cheer [Rita] on.”
Being on varsity can be very stressful especially as a freshman and Rita can relate. She shares her struggles of racing against older people and that she “feels a little pressure racing against other people because they are a lot faster, but it’s still fun.”
Aside from the stress and pressure both of the Rasner girls claim they enjoy their presence on varsity and even the challenges that come with it.
Both girls had accomplished extreme amounts in the 2022 season. Although Rita did not compete in WYL, Emelia did. She says, “I have met some of the goals I set.” One of her final goals was to medal in WYL. Emelia swam the 200 medley and 400 free relays and took first in both of those. As far as individual events, she took first in her 100 free and second in the 50 free, meeting the goals she had set for WYL.
A big part of the Rasner girls’ relationship is the fact that they have stuck together in swim throughout many years. Rita says, “[Emelia] started to swim before me but we swam together for about five years.”
Another important part of relationships and bonds in a sport is the coach-to-athlete relationship. Emelia goes on to say that she believes the “coaches think it’s pretty cool to have [Rita] and [her] both in swim. [She] thinks they like the idea that [they] will both be in the sport for three more years together.”
As WYL is over, the girls both are ready to do it all over again in the upcoming seasons. Since they are both freshmen they have plenty more years to enjoy their sport.
Rita says that she’s excited for the next seasons and “looking forward to hopefully bringing home the championship for WYL with [Emelia] for the next couple of years.”
Brienna Burr
Brienna Burr, '24, is in her third year of writing and editing for the Redwood Gigantea. Outside of journalism, Brienna is a part of Dance Force, CSF, Assisteens Visalia and International Dance. You can reach her by email at brien.bu9038@vusd.us
Tags: Brienna Burr, Emelia Rasner, girls swim, humans of redwood, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, redwood sports, redwood swim, Rita Rasner, Roxy Bahr, swim, varsitygirlsswim
