Without Mr. Steiger this year, a returning coach decided to step up for the Gateway & Woodbury swim team! Her name is Mrs. Brangan. She is one of the Phys. Ed/Heath teachers here at Gateway Regional. Mrs. Brangan used to coach for the swim team years ago, so she decided to come back as she loves to support the teams here at Gateway.
“I went into the season a little apprehensive, as it had been 15 years since I was the head Swimming coach at Gateway. I coached the team from 2000-2010, so I guess you can say I was a little rusty. As far as introducing myself, since I have most of the team through Physical Education and Health, I felt comfortable getting started, especially since we are a very small team,” is what Mrs. Brangan said about returning.
Even though the team isn’t big this year, three senior swimmers are leaving. The team still puts up a fight swimming against bigger schools. They always push to their absolute best during meets and even practices. During the swim meets, there are lots of personal records being broken, getting into third, second, and even first!
Our breaststroker, Raygen Bennett says, “An exciting moment I had this year was definitely breaking the minutes on my breaststroke.”
The swimmers and coaches are always supportive of one another. One of the Woodbury swimmers, Maliyah Graves shared:
“My favorite moment during the season was becoming friends with everyone and having a great encouragement from everyone.”
Overall, the swim team has had an exciting season. If you are interested in swimming next year, try it out!