With the Wilson Aquatic Center closed indefinitely, the JR swim team has been forced to relocate their three weekly practices to the Takoma Recreation Center.
The Wilson pool has had a tumultuous year, closing and opening multiple times due to health infractions and repair needs. Last swim season, the DCIAA championship swim meet was set to be held at Wilson’s Aquatic Center, but after a health inspection, multiple pieces of the pool’s equipment including the HVAC and draining systems were deemed unusable and the meet was forced to be relocated. The pool reopened June 12 after a temporary HVAC fix, but was shut down yet again on August 9 for a full repair. This second closing was planned, but the pool has yet to reopen and with no public reopening date announced, a reopening doesn’t appear imminent. This is not the first time the Wilson pool has experienced issues though, as in both 2012 and 2013 the pool was temporarily closed due to air conditioning and water pressure complications.
With practices held Monday, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 6:45-7:45 in the morning, the JR swim team, the Tiger Sharks, meet at 5:45 am at Jackson-Reed to commute on a team bus to the Takoma Recreation center for each practice. Athletes also have the option to drive themselves directly to Takoma, which can help cut down on travel time, but all athletes still must make the trip back to JR before the start of school. “I really miss last year. We still had practice from 6:45 to 7:45, but we could take our time in the locker room and chill before school,” senior captain Dana Clocker said. Having practice next to school also left time for the team to grab a snack at nearby Whole Foods before their school day started Not only is it an early rise for JR swimmers, but the team bus back to JR also tends to run late, causing many Tiger Sharks to be late to first period. “Today we got back at nine. It’s always pushing being late for school,” Clocker added.
While the bus system has been running on time before practice recently, it was not always smooth sailing. “On the first day of practice the bus never showed up. They had to order ubers and some people had to metro,” Clocker said.
Although the situation is less than ideal, the bus rides to and from practice do provide additional time for team bonding. When Clocker drives herself to practice, she feels she is missing out. “Since the entire team is taking the bus back to school after practice, I’m missing out on crucial team bonding,” Clocker explained.
The team has five senior captains this year and is coming off a successful season. Last year, both the boys’ and girls’ swim teams claimed first place in the DCIAA championship. While the win was a repeat for the boys, it was a redemption arc for the girls, as they had fallen to champion School Without Walls the season prior.
With the Tigersharks having to adjust to their new schedule, the start of their season has looked a little more chaotic than usual, but they are not letting this stop them and are keeping their eyes on the prize: Defending their DCIAA titles.
