For 25 Milford girls, their average day begins by plunging into freezing water at 5:30 a.m.  Members of the Milford High School Girls Swim and Dive team wake up bright and early to practice before school starts and then go along with their day. After school, the team is once again back in the pool practicing.

After weeks of offseason training during the summer, the Girls Swim and Dive season officially began in August at their Quad meet against Salem High School, Novi High School, and Walled Lake Central High School. Milford finished third with 252 points.

To be part of the team, there’s no formal tryout process, but students instead just sign up for it like a club. Swimmers acquire points throughout the season and if the athlete obtains 90 points, she is  rewarded her Varsity letter.

For senior Audrey Painter, swimming was initially just a hobby and way to get out of taking a physical education class; however, she soon fell in love with the sport and her team.

“People always think I’m crazy for wanting to do a sport that I have to wake up at 5 a.m. every day for,” said Painter. “You just get used to the routine and being with the same girls and it makes practice bearable.”

Painter explained that morning practices, which occur Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, are usually more technique-based, such as perfecting flip turns. Afternoon practices, however, are typically more strenuous and involve a laborious amount of work.

Considering Painter has been a varsity swimmer since her freshman year, she has worked with an assortment of girls. “It’s always sad at the end of each season having to say bye to the seniors,” Painter noted. “But at the same time, it’s exciting because we always get different new people each year.” One swimmer new to the team this year is Norwegian foreign exchange student Emma Augustsson.

Augustsson joined the team and is already a strong performer. Augustsson, who previously swam back in Norway, signed up a few weeks before school started as a way to get to know people.

“School would have been awkward if I didn’t at least know a few people going into it,” explained Augustsson. “The captains and other seniors helped me a lot this summer.”
A benefit of the girls starting their season in the summer is that they have time to get to know each other; the girls attended Camp Ohiyesa as a way to get close to one another. At the camp, the girls stayed overnight and engaged in team building exercises to build trust between each other.  

Despite the fact that swimming is essentially an individual sport, the team is close according to senior and captain Farrah Timmol. “It’s inevitable that we grow a strong bond with eachother,” said Timmol, who said the team often spends 12 hours together in one day.  

“They are like family to me and mean the world, so I always put them first and make sure they’re okay,” explained Timmol. As a captain, she is responsible for helping the team out and being supportive of them as much as possible.

As the season progresses, Timmol believes that the girls will get better individually and stronger as a team. “Although we may not win every meet, swimming is a sport that you swim against yourself and your times,” Timmol stated. “You may not come in first, but if you beat your best time then that’s a win for you.”

The Milford Girls Swim and Dive team continues their season until the end of November where they will compete at the KLAA Conference Championships.