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Most people consider swimming an individual sport. In the pool, there are individual swimmers trying to make their mark by getting the best time in each race. What people do not understand is that while there are many individuals who are trying to stand out by winning, those individuals are not only swimming for themselves, but for a team.
However, even though the University of Maine swim team focuses on competing together for the ultimate team goal, there are three seniors who each made their mark on the team in their own special way: Katrine Alcaide, Maggie Warren and Lee Elwell.
“As a group, right from the start of them being here, they have been ‘systematic’ workers,” said UMaine swim coach Jeff Wren. “They’ll do what they’re asked to do without complaining about it. They do what needs to be done to get better.”
For Alcaide, swimming has been a lifelong pursuit. She began swimming when she was 7 years old. The captain of the women’s team, Alcaide was influenced early on by her brother while growing up in Israel. After watching her brother swim, Alcaide decided that she would give it a try. After a strong high school career, Alcaide found the University of Maine.
“Katrine has had the most experience,” said Wren. “She’s always been willing to do any hair-brained idea I have had. I will ask to try a program. If it works for her, we’ll ask others to do it, or if she likes it we’ll get some other to do it. She’s very respectful of the process of the training or the work it takes to be dedicated.”
Alcaide believes the team had a big role in her success.
“I think without having the team here, I wouldn’t go as fast as I as need to go,” said Alcaide. “We build all season and throughout the season working as a team to accomplish and be a good championship team. Also, being the girls’ captain it is my goal to get the girls together as much as I can till February,” said Alcaide.
For Warren, the story is similar. Warren started early and has loved the sport ever since.
“It’s interesting because it combines a team sport with individual accomplishments,” said Warren. “You can work towards your own goal, but you can also support other people.”
Warren said that her decision to come to the University of Maine was part of a “family tradition.” Her father was a football player at UMaine. While swimming for the Black Bears, Warren has put together an impressive stretch that has seen her score at least one point in every event that she competes in.
“Maggie has done tremendously in freestyle,” said Wren. “In her breast stroke, she’s made some nice improvements and she’s always managed to score in the breast stroke events.”
The last of the senior trio, Elwell, swam for Messalonskee High School and has since become an exhibition swimmer for UMaine.
“Lee has improved the most,” said Wren. “She’s been able to take so much time off of her events, it’s pretty remarkable.”
Elwell’s decision to come to UMaine was almost the same as Warren’s. Both of her parents graduated from the University of Maine, and since she was from Maine and didn’t have a specific major in mind, it seemed like the right fit.
“I don’t think any swimmer would last for five months putting in the work that we put in without the team around you,” explained Elwell. “You need to have forty other people in the pool with you to complete the wor-out, when you’ve been up since 6 a.m. and you’re in for the second time and you’ve lifted and you’re just dying. I don’t think I would have made it through without these two girls and the rest of the team.”
Each sport has their ups and downs, and swimming is no exception. Each girl has endured a setback, either physically, or mentally.
“I think mentally my biggest challenge has been the fact that when I got here my freshman year, I was not good,” said Elwell. “The team really helped me stick with it and get better. ”
Warren also touched about some struggles throughout here career.
“We all go through injuries because this sport has such a grueling, long season, which also is another thing a lot of people don’t recognize,” said Warren. “Personally I’ve been through two knee surgeries and recovered enough from both of them to come back. That was my goal from the very beginning right when I discovered my injury was to be able to come back and do this. There were times when I felt that I wasn’t going to make it, but care packages from my teammates and everything was really key to my comeback.”
Each of the swimmers are looking ahead to attending graduate school hoping to focus more on their majors. However, each of them plan on keeping swimming a definite part of their future.
Bangor Daily News