For the first time ever, the girls swim and dive team are forced to make cuts.
Senior Emma Johnson said she didn’t know how to do anything her first year of swim. She thinks she would have been cut. “I would have missed out on the best thing to happen to me. I find happiness and peace when I swim.”
Although Johnson said the cuts are unfortunate she does see why cuts are being made. She said each class is getting bigger and bigger, plus they have to share the pool with two other schools. 
Coach Colleen Gibler explained that the reason the team might have to let some girls go this year is safety. The team swims in five lanes, and Gibler said it’s a safety hazard if there are more than one person swimming in the same lane. ¨We have to try to avoid having swimmers that are not moving along and that are causing others to have to swim around and potentially cause unsafe conditions,” she said.
The crowding in lanes could cause complications for the team. When a faster swimmer tries to pass another, they risk a head collision with someone coming to other direction in the lane. If they don’t swim as fast as their abilities, they don’t get their personal workout nor can they keep their intervals.
While the increased number of girls has caused complications for the team, there is no easy fix considering the constraints the team is working with. “You have to keep the number of athletes that is proportional to safety and coaching staff capability,” said Gibler. “I am used to coaching up to 35 athletes by myself, but I can’t honestly say that this is ideal.”
Even if the team did have enough lane space and enough staff, the team would still beabout 52 girls. A lot of girls wouldn’t be able to participate in a meet because the entries have a maximum number. Varsity and Junior Varsity meets have about 17 swimmers. With diving, Varsity meets can have 20 divers while the Junior Varsity meets can have 18 divers.
