Time to hit the pools! For years, the Kinkaid varsity swim program has been competitive in the SPC championship race. 

Through a rigorous practice schedule and great team chemistry and companionship, the Kinkaid swimmers have found a great deal of success while working hard. 

Every morning, the swimmers wake up at the break of dawn to jump into the pools for practice. They have morning practices at 6:00 a.m.at the Dad’s Club. The Dad’s Club opens at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays, and it is only 10 minutes away from Kinkaid, so it is perfect for early morning swim practices. It has multiple lanes, so all swimmers are able to practice at the same time. 

This season, the team is blessed with two college commits who will spend the next four years competing amongst the best swimmers of their age group. Both senior Sydney Smith and senior Cade Duncan are committed to Northwestern University to swim for their illustrious team. Both Smith and Duncan have been on the Kinkaid varsity swim team and have been dominant since their freshman year.  

The program is led by head coach Erica Mayer and assistant coaches David Bargainer and Evan Chastain. These two have turned the Kinkaid swim program into a current SPC powerhouse, and their impact and great work cannot be overlooked. Just recently, the team competed at the HCYA Swim Invite, where the swimmers dominated. Cade Duncan won the 50 meter freestyle (20.7 seconds) and the 100 meter butterfly (51.0 seconds), Alexander Farabhod won the 100 meter backstroke, his younger brother Benjamin Farabhod won the 200 meter freestyle, Sydney Smith won the 200 meter freestyle and the 100 meter breaststroke, and the Boys won the 200 meter freestyle relay.

However, the swim team has had a lack of members recently. There are only three girls on the team: Smith, Paysan Lau, and Kacey Harvin. This means that they are unable to do any relays, which are similar to relays in track. Relays in swimming are one of the highlights of the sport, so it is a shame they cannot compete in any right now. However, sign ups for swimming have not ended yet, and the team is still looking for people to fill the open spots. It is a shame that a sports program that is so insanely dominant and competitive has a lack of members, and might not be able to compete in all aspects of the sport, so Mayer, Bargainer, and Chastain are desperately looking for new female swimmers.

Last year, the swim team was dominant in the SPC race: they plan to continue that dominance this season. The boys varsity team placed 2nd and the girls placed 5th in last year’s SPC championship. This year, the team will travel up to Louisville, Texas to compete in the championships. 

“I am excited to see how the experienced members and new swimmers will help to create a swim legacy,” says Coach Chastain. “I am looking forward to the SPC tournament and what type of legacy we are going to leave.”