The boys’ swimming and diving teams started off the season with a well-performed meet against Madison winning 97-76.  Boys’ diver Kaleb Brown won with a score of 144.38 while Paul Montgomery placed first in the 50 and 100 freestyle.  Other first place finishers were Lane Mellencamp in the 200 free, Larry Simons in the 500 free, and the 400 free relay team of Grant Smith, Montgomery, Mellencamp, and Simons.

After the meet I had a chance to interview the co-captains of the boys’ team, Grant Smith and Larry Simons. They are very hopeful and excited for this season: 

“What’d you think of the meet tonight and the team’s performance?”

Smith:  “I think the meet was solid. He[Coach Dave Boggs] said we had no dq’s[disqualifications] so cheers to the young guys for getting in there and swimming hard.” 

Simons: “I think we did well for the first meet. Obviously, we were rusty…but I think there’s a lot of room for improvement.”  

“Why’d you want to be a captain this year?”

Smith: “I think I have the qualities to help this team out. Do I think I’m perfect? No. Do I think I can work on myself and better this team? Yes!” 

Simons: “Last year I didn’t even think about being a captain, but this year I got nominated…so I said why not, let’s give this a try.” 

“What are your goals for the rest of the season?”

Smith: “As long as the team does well, my personal times don’t matter. As long as the team improves every single meet or works hard to improve every single meet that’s all I want.”

Simons: “Hopefully to get a time of 5 minutes or lower in the 500 free, and for the team, I want us to have fun because fun is the most important aspect of a sport, and if everyone has fun it doesn’t matter if we win or lose.”

The boys’ swim team started their season strongly, and, with the help of captains and top scorers, they are poised for great success.