As October and the fall term at North Central College start to wind down and come to a close, the swimming and diving team’s season is just getting started.
A positive sign for the team early on is its increase in size over the past year. “When I took over the team there were three returning swimmers from the previous head coach,” said head coach Mark Schmitt. “I built it up within a year to have 11, and this year we have 23 swimmers on our roster.”
A benefit of having a larger roster is that the team will be able to compete more at meets. “I’m looking forward to conference because we’ll be able to have A and B relays this year,” he said. “You put together four swimmers to compete in a relay. Last year, we had seven women and four men, we were only able to have an A relay. This year, we have 12 women and 11 men, so we’re able to have an A and B relay for both of them.”
These extra relays will help out the Cardinals when it comes to scoring. “This will bring a drastic increase in points because relays automatically score points unless they are disqualified,” said Schmitt. “I’m expecting our point total for conference to increase from last year to this year; I’m excited about that.”
Though having a larger roster is beneficial, it can bring challenges for developing each swimmer individually. “Being able to double the team in size has its hurdles,” said Schmitt. “Particularly, I’m not able to devote as much time to each individual athlete, which is difficult to adjust to. I take pride in knowing everything about my swimmers.”
One of the new members of the team this season is currently a sophomore, and decided to join because he loves the sport. “I wanted to continue swimming; it’s been a passion of mine since I was very young,” said Robert Freas (’19).
Coach Schmitt is looking to create a hard-working, yet fun environment for his team. “I expect the team to have fun and be positive and supportive of all of our teammates and giving 100 percent in practice, which we have been doing,” said Schmitt. “I’m incredibly proud of the progress that we have made so far.”
Freas has had a positive experience during his first season with the team. “Everyone on the team is really easy to get along with and we always have a good time,” he said.
Something that Schmitt focuses on for himself and his swimmers is setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. The acronym stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. He uses this strategy to help create an action plan for his goals, as well as his swimmers.
“The more details you put into your goal, the more clear it becomes and you’re able to devise an action plan,” said Schmitt.
Having them set S.M.A.R.T. goals, and bringing positivity and energy to practices, Schmitt wants the best for his swimmers, regardless of whether they have a lot of competitive experience or not.
“All of (the swimmers) carry the same amount of weight and bring something to the team. I have no expectations for performance, I’m just hoping that if they are in a positive environment and training hard, it will have positive results at the end of the season.”
