Breathe, don’t forget to breathe. Loosen up. Don’t forget to breathe. How many flutter kicks again? Breathe, breathe, breathe. Is that Michael Phelps’ name up there? When are we going to go? Dang it, we’re getting on the blocks. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

At the University of Texas Natatorium, the swim team competed at the Austin ISD Invitational on Halloween. The meet was the last big meet that the team will participate in before district.

“Every meet is important because if the swimmers achieve a personal best, then that is an achievement for each individual athlete,” coach Kailah Ramsey said. “This meet [set] a pace for how we are probably going to be sitting at districts. We are against a lot of fast teams.”

With the team going up against some of the fastest teams in the state, Ramsey had been concocting a special strategy for what events the swimmers will swim.

“I always have a strategy,” Ramsey said. “The athletes always get tired of hearing me say ‘There’s a method to the madness.’ I [had] been collecting data over the last six weeks of our best times at practice compared to our times at meets, along with looking at other schools’ times and placements to develop a strategy to put swimmers in events where their best times are and events where they’ll place well in.”

For example, coach said that sophomore Natalie Saul was expected to swim her personal best for the 50 free in about 24-25 seconds. Junior Jacob Gwin was hoping to drop three seconds on his 100 breaststroke. Sophomore Dylan Ingram was expected to swim a 50 free in 22 seconds. Freshman Jaide Castle was expected to beat her personal best in the 200 IM. Freshman Summer Fullwood swam the 200 free and the 100 back intending to get her best time in each.

“The goal for the team overall [was] for every swimmer to get their personal best,” Ramsey said. “They [were] taking the small steps, which [was] beating their personal best. So if everyone [beat] their personal best times, it’s [was] a success, and [I was looking] forward to that as a coach.”

There is also a method to how coach ran the practices before the meet. The team went on a brief taper, where they still trained but cut down how many yards they swam. And the athletes were doing their part to prepare for the meet.

“[I went to practice] every day for my particular events,” senior Katie Grady said. “[I also stayed] hydrated at all times. It’s really important meet to me because it’s the only big meet I [got] to participate in this year besides districts.”

The big meet was held at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center on the UT campus, a pool considered to be one of the fastest pools in the state.

“UT is such a nice pool,” Ramsey said. “It’s such a prestigious location. It’s one of those pools every swimmer dreams of swimming in.”

The swimmers weren’t in the water at all times though. On average, a swimmer only swam two to four events, and averaged less than two minutes in the water per race.

During their off time, swimmers and coaches went and got lunch and souvenirs from the inside the natatorium, as well as relaxed with the team. The athletes brought games to play together, and there was a point during the meet where the majority of swimmers were taking a nap. There was a lot of team bonding during the meet.

“It’s been a blessing to be hired on as the RHS swim coach,” Ramsey said. “I’m glad that I have the opportunity to coach these athletes and I look forward to many more successful years. I hope I get to stay.”

AISD Capital City Swim Classic Results, Oct. 31
Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay Sydney Stauber, Jaide Castle, Summer Fullwood, Natalie Saul – 9^th
Girls 200 Yard Free Summer Fullwood – 6^th
Girls 50 Yard Free Natalie Saul – 9^th
Girls 100 Yard Free Natalie Saul – 9^th
Boys 200 Yard Free Relay Jacob Gwin, Dylan Ingram, Jace Wood, Jeremy Rodriguez – 10^th
Boys 400 Yard Free Relay Jordan Stokes, Brenton Schaefer, Nathaniel Diaz, Jace Wood – 9^th