Alexandra Brooks has been a swim coach since she was 14 years old. Brooks started as a swim instructor on the team she was a part of and continued coaching throughout college. She came to RNE in 2022 and started coaching the swim team.
“She is one of the best coaches that I’ve seen. She’ll just guide you, have that one-on-one time with you,” junior swimmer Addison Monroe said
Last year the swim team competed the whole season with only four athletes.
“We started off with three, we got a fourth later on. That was actually our one senior.” Coach Brooks said, with regard to the 23-24 season.
That caused the team to struggle at meets. They were not allowed to compete in relays, which is a team event where multiple swimmers take turns completing small parts of a race with each swimmer touching a wall to signal the next swimmer when to start.
Because of this, the relays they competed in did not count towards the school record. instead they would combine with other schools and compete just for fun and for the experience. They have eight meets in a season and they compete in multiple relays during those eight meets.
“We just kind of made it our own thing. It wasn’t counted, and nobody cared,” Brooks said
This year, however, the swim team has grown tremendously, now having 13 athletes. Brooks took last year’s small number of swimmers and used it as motivation to recruit.
“It’s definitely a big adjustment, but it’s a great adjustment,” Monroe said.
She put up flyers and hosted summer practices at MUV Fitness to get kids interested and acquainted with the sport. She also used this year’s orientation night as a chance to talk to and get more kids interested in swimming at RNE. For Freshman Anthony Signore, this was how he learned about and later joined the RNE swim team.
“I walked into the gym and I saw swimming there and thought, ‘I can sign up for swimming right here’,” Signore said.
The financial obligations for swimming compared to other sports limits the number of students who can participate. For example, for a sport like track, athletes only need a pair of shoes, but for swimming members need a place to swim, which would usually require a membership fee. Coach Brooks is part of a diversity, equity and inclusion committee, which recruits a diverse number of athletes and coaches, to promote more diversity in the swimming community. This committee is at the national level and was made by USA swim.
“It’s hard to find a swim coach that’s willing to volunteer. It’s not a paid position,” Coach Brooks said.
Coach Brooks is the only coach for the swim team. Having 13 students in a body of water with only one lifeguard on duty is not ideal. But that is where upperclassmen or experienced swimmers come into play by lending a helping hand.
“I kind of can guide those younger people by showing them how practices run and how to prepare for a big meet,” Monroe said.
By swimming, students not only keep themselves in shape but also have a community of coaches and teammates to surround themselves with.
“If you’re not athletic and you want to try to get into something, do swim. Get out there and just get your workout in. It’s only a two hour practice, so it’s not that bad. The coaches and the teammates are great,” Monroe said.
