With a first place ranking in the Southwest Prairie Conference and a second place finish at the Downers Grove South Invitational on Sat., the girls co-op swim and dive team is off to a strong start to their season.
Placing first at the meet were OE sophomore Maddie Moss in diving (1 meter), OH sophomore Vera Skubiak in 200 free and 100 fly , OE senior Addi Miller in 50 free, OE senior Lauren Szadorski in 500 free, and OE senior Adriana Bahneanin, OH senior Victoria Jordan, OE senior Claire Nadziejko, and Skubiask in the 400 free relay.
On Tues. Sep 15, they held a dual meet vs. Neuqua Valley at home in the OE pool. Constructed by students from OH and OE, the girls are earning medals and starting the season off great, keeping one another strong with teamwork and positive talk.
OH sophomore Vera Skubiak said, “When I’m nervous, I talk to my friends, because they make me happier.”
“I usually just talk to my friends and tell myself it’s not a big deal,” said OH sophomore Sofia Torres.
While both Torres and Skubiak handle nerves in their own way, they both turn to their friends for support. Both having similar approaches shows that having encouraging teammates helps these swimmers feel more comfortable, even when competing with new athletes and adjusting to a new season.
“Going to State and getting that experience, it’s a big moment,” said Diving Coach Ryan Pentizen. “So you never know how you’re going to perform, and like everyone has some opening night jitters with that.”
In a sport, getting down on yourself can be incredibly easy, but having a team that’s uplifting can change your attitude about the sport.
The girls’ Swim and Dive Co-Op values great qualities in their sport, going to practices everyday throughout the week, and the effort they put into meets. But this team’s morality is why they succeed, because they highly value the camaraderie they experience with their teammates.
“You get to meet more people, and just have the opportunity for more friends because it’s two schools,” said Skubiak.
As a sophomore, Skubiak built connections last year as a freshmen, and she and her teammates also have the opportunity to meet new people this year.
OH doesn’t have many Co-Op teams, which is what makes this team unique. It’s an opportunity to meet new people and collaborate between two schools and be able to succeed. Their united team has a sense of universality, meaning they are all in this together. That feeling leads to being inspired and motivated in their shared environment.
“I want people to work for themselves rather than work for me. So what I’m trying to do when I instruct is give them the desire to get to that next step. So I want them to evaluate themselves,” Pentzien said.
Motivating a team is a big step in how a team performs. Pentzien encourages his athletes to focus on their own goals and improvement rather than relying on coaches to motivate them. When an athlete works for themselves, it can help give them a strong desire to improve throughout the season. Then they are able to follow through with the goals they set for themselves at the start of the season.
“So they’re working for themselves more than they’re working for a team or for me or for anything else,” said Pentzien.
The team is not necessarily competing for titles or just for the coaches. They have their own personal goals and work toward them everyday in practice.
The OH and OE Swim & Dive team have goals of placing at state this year. They did amazing last season with multiple state qualifiers
“Last year was, I mean, it was lightning in a bottle,” said Pentizien.
Looking at the end of last season, the Oswego Co-op Girls’ Swim and Dive team finished in fourth place at the IHSA State Championships. They are currently 14th in the State and first in the Southwest Prairie Conference.
Their next meet is tomorrow at home (Oswego East) against Plainfield, a Senior Night celebration starting at 5:00 PM.
