Boys squad looks to navigate choppy waters of swim transition

SPLASH! Off the blocks and into the deep end for yet another dip in the pool comes the boys Wildcat swimmers as a new season full of fresh faces, new personal records, and- of course- early morning practices looms on the horizon. After losing 17 seniors from last year’s squad, the team looks forward to new leadership to fill in the gaps. This year brings about not just new goals for the team, but also alumni Nathon Johannes hopping along for the ride as a new coach.

For four-year swimmer and senior Isaac Palomaki, the loss of senior leadership doesn’t scare him in the least.

“We did lose a lot of seniors, but we have a lot of strong returning people too- such as Caleb Bergin and Carter Crowe- and we have people swimming during the off-season too,” he said. “Even though we did lose a lot, we still have a lot of strength.”

Coach Kel Wayne also has her own goals and aspirations in mind for her swimmers.

“I think that our goal is always to end the season with personal best times,” she said. “We are really fortunate to have a lot of boys going out for swim this year, so I always love seeing what they can accomplish as a team. A team goal is always to qualify someone for a relay for state. Basically best times and winning some dual meets.”

As time has passed, the team has continued to grow both in ability as well as their bond.

“The team does a really good job of building each other up, better than when I swam,” Johannes said. “Even when we had some of these new swimmers who could barely swim a 50, my team was like ‘look at that guy.’ The boys today, on the other hand, still clap and cheer for them. Honestly, the team building has come a long way, and that’s a lot due to Kel and Sazler. Team support has really improved over the years.”

The team’s camaraderie is a highlight in particular for senior Dane Dodge.

“What I’m looking forward to most is getting back together with my swim teammates, and bonding with them,” he said.

Although the end of the season is still far away, it’s never too early for the boys to start making progress.

“I look forward to the whole season, but at the same time I’m looking forward to sectionals to see who really has improved,” Johannes said. “It’s a double-edged sword; I’m excited for sectionals, but it’s the end of the season.”

As far as expectations go, Palomaki sets his hopes high, but knows that his team can rise to the challenge. 

“There’s always a hope we can send a team to state this year, particularly a relay team, since we have a lot of strength especially with the sophomores,” Palomaki said. “I expect we’ll take at least third in our conference, maybe even second or hopefully first, but Neenah is some steep competition.”

Although the team’s size has stayed relatively the same, Coach Lori Salzer hopes that the boys continue to lead themselves to victory.

“The team dynamics will kinda stay the same,” she said. “Every time you lose someone, someone else steps up. Even though we lost that huge group of seniors, we have a large group of sophomores.”

Palomaki looks forward to watching his teammates step up. New or experienced, the Wildcats can use their sizable team numbers to carry them to victories. 

“It’ll more than likely be the same as last year, trying to overpower people with our numbers,” he said. “We aren’t strong all the way around, but we try our best all the way around.”

Experienced or not, swimming always presents a challenge. Palomaki plans to push himself and his teammates out of their comfort zones as they dive into the uncharted waters this season will bring. 

“I always want to attempt personal bests,” Palomaki said. “One thing that would be nice is to do more variety of stuff- not just me, but the team as a whole. We have a lot of people that stay in the same event, and if we had everyone try something new we could be better.”