Falls Church High School offers many great sports, one of which is swim and dive. The Swim & Dive teams have almost 80 students this year—the largest team this school has seen! They have about twenty swimmers returning to the team from previous years. The swim team also has a new coach! Nikki Iselin, the new coach, is from Ohio. Nikki teaches fourth grade at Pine Springs Elementary. The daily practice routine for swim usually starts at 4:30, (except for Wednesdays, which start at 4:15 and end at 5:15) and end at 5:30. As soon as we get in the pool we swim a 200-300 meter warm-up, which is followed by drills, a long distance swim, or sprints. After about 50 minutes of swimming, we will swim a short cool down. After practice we will discuss announcements and how the practice went.

Coach Iselin says, “We are lucky to have so many new athletes who will add energy and depth to the team. We have been working hard the past few weeks, building up yardage and stamina. After a strong showing at last year’s conference meet, FCSD is working towards finishing at the top of the conference!”

The swimmers and divers are very excited about current season. “Swimming is fun and you should try it!” says Noel Mickelson (9). Henry Lewis (10) likes the social aspect of the sport, saying, “Swimming is fun because it’s a chance to hang out with your friends.” Charlotte Roberson (12) and Julia Schwartz (12) agree, saying, “We are the biggest team in the school, and yet we are still really close.”

Some swimmers find the competitive side of swimming enjoyable. “If being shot is the worst pain you can imagine, then you obviously haven’t swum the 200 fly,” said John Carlin (9).