The Perry swim team began official practices for their current season back on Aug. 10, with their first meet held Aug. 25. Now, after five road dates and 45 days since those first practice session, the Jayettes will finally host a meet, as Indianola will visit the McCreary Community Building pool Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Senior co-captain Haileigh Kenyon said the first home meet of her final season is simply another in a series of ‘lasts.’
“All year I have been ‘this is my last first practice, my last first home meet, my last this-or-that,” she stated. “Of course, it is hard not to be happy about finally swimming at home. I hope we get a good crowd.”
Kenyon said her primary goal would be to “finally have a great start.”
“I don’t have the best starts (to races) and would love to have great starts here,” she said. “On the road there is really no one paying attention to us, but at home a lot of people you know can see if you make a mistake, so I want to have really great starts.”
Junior co-captain Haley Vaughn will swim the 100 butterfly Thursday, the first time this season a Jayette has competed in the event.
“My personal-best time is 1 minute, 7 seconds and I would like to come within a couple of seconds of that,” she explained. “So far I have been swimming the fly only in the individual medley (a 50-meter leg), but I have been feeling strong in it and told (head coach) Jean (Dowd) that I was ready to give the 100 a try.”
Both captains stressed their hope that the team would have plenty of crowd support and stressed their efforts to recruit their classmates to attend.
“We have been talking to other students and to the football and volleyball players and the cross country team and hope they come out for at least some of the meet,” Kenyon said. “We (the swim team) go to as many of their events as we can, and I have told a lot of them “It doesn’t matter to us if you are not the best in the state, you are still our friends so of course we are going to support you” and I hope they feel the same way.”
Vaughn agreed, saying the team would be thrilled to see a big crowd.
“A lot of times, even at home meets, it is just parents, grandparents and boyfriends who are here,” she said. “We have been working hard and want to show other people how that hard work is paying off, to show them the progress we have made.”
