Swimming is a lonely sport. Many elite swimmers joke—in a self-deprecating way— about drowning in their own thoughts, only being momentarily interrupted by each repetitive flip turn against the wall indicating the early hours of the morning passing by. For swimmers participating in multiple events, relay can often serve as a refreshing break from the solitude of their individual events.
Through relay swimming, athletes can pause from ruminating on every mechanism of their own swimming and focus on the performance of their team. This opportunity for a moment of team bonding paired with the combined strengths of each athlete can even result in some rewarding wins for the team to congratulate each other on.
Such is the case for Minnetonka High School’s relay team, which earned its fourth Class AA Girls Swimming and Diving state meet title on November 16th. The Skippers were looking forward to reclaiming their title in the medley relay event after finishing second last year. In a rare turn of events, Edina and Minnetonka tied at 1:41:78. Both teams found themselves sharing the first-place spot on the podium, underneath the skylight windows of the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota. Later in the day, Minnetonka won the meet with 325 team points.
In the MSHSL State Meet, relay swimmers are chosen based on those who qualify for state and whose strengths match the stroke of a relay. The members of the winning relay team consisted of Annabelle Wentzel, ‘25, and Kendall Schindler, ‘25, as well as Annika Graham, ‘27, and Claire Wilkey ‘28. Despite swimming alongside upperclassmen, Wilkey was able to overcome her initial nervousness regarding swimming quickly. “As my second year on the team, first as a high schooler it has been a great experience and I have had a blast with my teammates and coaches,” she says, adding that she felt “very fortunate” to be chosen on the relay team.
Wilkey has been swimming for 9 years, and athleticism is clearly valued in her family. Both her brothers are middle-school and college student athletes in skiing and mountain biking. Wilkey’s energetic attitude towards swimming is reflected in her aspirations to get a team record in an individual event in the near future.
Wilkey’s teammate Annika Graham has been swimming for 8 years. ”My parents weren’t swimmers but were athletes, and I have some aunts and uncles who swam,” Graham says. ”I’m really looking forward to next season and swimming with the team again, however I am going to miss the seniors,” she adds in regard to Wentzel and Schindler, who are both graduating this year.
Both girls state that the nervous anticipation of waiting on the benches for a solo event could be alleviated by talking to friends. The shared experience of camaraderie serves as motivation even while swimming in the solitary confines of your lane, fueled by adrenaline and the constant ambition of improving your strokes registering in the back of your mind.
