As he prepares for the start of the boys swimming season, Brandon swimming coach Todd Duncan looked back at the recently concluded girls swimming season.
Duncan said he likes the progress the team made this year ? not necessarily in terms of wins and losses, but in terms of improvement on the part of each member of the team.
‘We’ve improved, not just in baby steps, but huge steps,? he said. ‘The girls are stepping up and competing at the varsity level.?
He said further proof of the girls? progress can be measured in the fact there were 26 Blackhawks who qualified for the second day of the Flint Metro League meet earlier this month, including 13 freshmen.
Duncan said at the start of the girls season, there were 47 members of the team, but due to people dropping out of the program, there were 39 swimmers by season’s end.
This year’s graduated seniors are the first to swim four years at Brandon High School, the first two at the club level and the last two at the varsity level.
‘We lost a few here and there, but it was still more than I expected,? he said. ‘Almost every single girl met their goal time. Overall, the girls did a wonderful job.?
Duncan also said the team’s goal this season, which the team met, was to compete with Holly for second place in the Flint Metro League behind perennial powerhouse Fenton.
As far as the future is concerned, Duncan said it will take some time to get where Fenton is today. He said he would like to get a summer swimming program and middle school program established at Brandon in order to better prepare students to swim competitively at the high school level.
He said Fenton has an advantage because they have middle school and summer swimming programs, which helps them better prepare for the season.
‘My kids walk in as freshmen never swimming competitively a day in their lives,? he said. ‘It’s a huge learning process. It’s something you can’t do three months per year.?
As far as the boys team is concerned, they began practice Monday, Nov. 14, and Duncan said the numbers look promising for the upcoming season. He said about 20 new faces showed up for an informational meeting the previous week, and depending on how many show up for tryouts, there could be between 35-40 swimmers on the team.
Key returnees this year, Duncan said, are seniors Tyson DeLandsheer, Tyler Cole and Brad MacIntyre and junior Tyler Walls.
One area of the boys team Duncan said he would like to expand is diving. Currently, the Blackhawks have one returning diver, Zach Cotton, on the team.