Seniors’ last swim
Diving into their last meet of the season, the Cedar Shoals Aqua Jags placed high on the scoreboard with only 19 swimmers on Jan. 30. The team finished in third place overall out of ten teams: second place for boys and sixth for girls.
Not only was this the last meet for the Aqua Jags season, but it was also the last meet for the seniors on the team. The seniors this year were Christopher Koch, Emmett Cummings, Ben Graichen, Nolan Dennison and Alexa Garza Gaona. Head coach Bee Nordgren has a sense of pride for this senior class.
“Watching this group of seniors was a mixture of hope, pride and celebration. They did a great job last year, their junior year, so I was really hoping they would make gains in not only their times but also their maturity and skill, which they did both. I’m happy to say they all exceeded any goals set in place for them,” Nordgren said.
Graichen thinks back on the years that he has been with this team and mentions how the other swimmers made him better. Not only did his teammates impact him, but swimming for the school helped him personally develop.
“The other seniors on the team have had various positive impacts in my life. While some help push me to be a better competitor, others have helped me enjoy life and have fun on the team,” Grachien said. “Swimming at Cedar has definitely affected me as it’s not only helped me keep in shape, but it has also helped strengthen my work ethic and be able to make strong relationships with fellow teammates.”
Not only did the seniors impact each other’s lives, but they left a mark on the other teammates as well.
“I hated to see them leave as many of them were my friends but I am glad they are off to do better things in college. The seniors acted as a kind of coach to me, as they guided me through swimming and were very supportive,” junior Nate Guidry said.
Not only was senior night a time of pride and grief for seeing them leave, but it was also a very successful meet as well as season.
“Although there were only 19 swimmers on our roster, 13 high schoolers and six middle schoolers, we consistently placed in the top six or seven at almost every meet. Folks don’t always realize how small the Cedar roster is compared with larger schools in and around Atlanta,” Nordgren said.
Not only was Nordgren proud of their performance, but Grachien was able to put out the scores to prove how hard he had been working throughout his career. Placing eighth out of 24 in the 50 yard freestyle and a time of 26.30. And also placing seventh out of 15 in the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 59.60.
“It felt satisfying being able to swim my last meet as it helped me end a long career on the swim team that I enjoyed being a part of. I feel like I performed well at the meet as I pushed myself with it being my last high school meet,” Grachien said.
Grachien wasn’t the only one that put in the work and placed high. Junior Nate Guidry came out in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 24.45, placing him in third out of 24. Also going into the 100 yard freestyle with no time, he managed to place third out of 15 with a time of 54.24.
“I performed well at the state meet and I was very happy with my times. Using what the seniors taught me, next year I am going to make sure that I am a good leader to those that need my help,” Guidry said.
While the seniors leaving will make a big dent, Nordgren is positive that next year will be looking good.
“I talked with the underclassmen a lot about next year; how their hard work this season will pay off in the future. We talked about cross training this summer and swimming with the Green Acres sea turtles this summer. We are hoping to have enough swimmers for two relay teams for both boys and girls, so recruitment next fall will be key,” Nordgren said.
