Sports
Gaithersburg Swim Team Qualifies for Metro Representation at County Meet
The Trojans finished 14th on Saturday.
The Gaithersburg swim team remained strong at the County Championships Saturday, placing 14th overall, with a score of 116 points. The Trojans qualified in Silver Spring to compete in four relay and four individual events of the upcoming Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Championship.
The Boys and Girls 200 Medley Relay and 200 Freestyle Teams will both advance to Metro. Swimming sensation Ellen Anderson will represent the Trojans in the 200 Freestyle. Anderson also won the 500 Yard Freestyle event in 4:55.69 minutes. Tyler Pham qualified to swim the 100 Back and the 200 Individual Medley in Germantown.
With the approachability of first-year Coach Shannon King attracting new swimmers, Captain Chelsea Geliske acknowledged the mixture of rookie and veteran teammates for working together efficiently.
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"I think a lot of the swimmers, when they need help with something or they don't know something, they always come straight to us (the captains) because they know we usually know the answer," Geliske said. "So, they know they can count on us."
King said though her new job was intimidating, coaching the Trojan Swim Team gradually became easier, thanks to good friends and helpful team captains.
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"I had a lot of help with my captains. During practices, I had two of them that would sit out and help me with some of the other kids and working on their strokes," King said. So, I kind of used them as assistant coaches, sort of. "
Throughout the year, King said she appreciated the team's camaraderie and was extremely pleased with the outcome of the County meet.
"You know, they're out there cheering for each other which I love. They'll stay until the end of the meet to cheer each other on, even if they're not swimming in it, " King said. For most of the team, it's their last race of the season. So swim your hardest. Give it everything you have. Come out with nothing left. And, I think they did that today. I was happy with the way they all did that."
