The LREI high school swim team won the championship ISAL meet. This is the first time the LREI swim team has won the league meet, and they won with distinctive characteristics.
Everyone on the team cheered for one another on both ends of the pool, so when a teammate was flip turning they would hear their supportive teammates, giving them an extra boost of energy. Everyone on the team did this for every person despite the splashes of water that ended up on their dry towels.
Everyone raced their hearts out. Every time a high schooler dove in, LREI cap flying into the water first, they were in the race to win the race. There was no slowing down, even during the 500, which we ended up winning, by passing the other boy at Leman by one second on the last lap.
Lastly everyone was a team player. After every race, whether a win or a lose, that person soaking in chlorine would get fourteen high fives, and more smiles than that.
After the meet a few people came up to me, and said, “wow I would like to be part of that LREI swim team.” I had to think carefully about how I would respond to that statement. I couldn’t say, you can join, because of course they can’t. So I replied by saying, “you can make our team your team.”
And anyone can. It just takes spirit, citizenship and compassion.
