The Miners girls swim team picked up right where last season’s state title-winning team left off by winning this season’s first four meets.
Park City dispatched Murray, East, Jordan and the field at Saturday’s Brighton Invitational with ease.
The Miners are now enjoying their extensive Thanksgiving break. They and the boys team won’t hit the water again to compete until Dec. 16, when they host Juan Diego.
The Park City boy’s team has won three of their first four meets of the season. They fell in the season opener to Murray, who finished second at last season’s state title meet.
The girls are the favorites to repeat as state champs come February. Assistant coach Heather Flynn believes that the boys can also repeat their title win. She and head coach Gadi Shamah’s goal this season will be to bring up some of the middle-of-the-pack boys.
“The athletes are really dedicated and putting in the hard work,” Shamah said. “They have great attitudes, get along well and push one another to be better, which contributes to our team culture.”
Shamah said the seven seniors on both teams are stepping up as leaders and setting the tone with their work for the season. Those who won the titles last season know it’s all about how well you perform on the final day.
“It’s going to be a matter of how the rest of the season goes,” Flynn said about the boy’s chances at a repeat title. “It came down to the very last event for the boys last year. … It’s going to come down to that middle group of swimmers, and those boys are going to need to step up.”
Flynn said a lot of the team’s swimmers are swimming through the holiday break for their club teams. She will focus on repetition and technique improvements where needed with the teams this season.
“The other big meet we’re gearing toward is called the Swimvitational, which we host (in January),” Flynn added. “You’re swimming against a lot of programs, and it’s a higher-level meet because you have the fastest kids and heats.”
Flynn, who’s coming off leading the boy’s water polo team to a state title appearance in October, believes aquatic sports in the ski town of Park City are really picking up traction.
“The momentum has been built,” she said. “Next year we will be even stronger than we are this year.”