Savannah Maddox is a senior and the March Athlete of the Month for the La Plata Gauntlet. Savannah has been on the La Plata swim team since her freshman year but has been swimming since she was four. Mr. Butler was Savannah’s first swim coach and taught her everything she knows. Mr. Butler swam in college and wanted to pass down his knowledge about the sport to his niece. Savannah is going to swim at Mars Hill University, a division 2 school, this upcoming year and hopes to continue to have swimming apart of her life.
“If you think your sport is hard, try doing it while holding your breath.” Swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports including events in butterfly, freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. The La Plata swim team is apart of the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference. They compete against other schools in Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s County. The swim team has practice at Lackey High School everyday. Practice is an hour and a half long either from 4:00 P.M.-5:30 P.M. or 5:30 P.M.-7:00 P.M. Practice includes conditioning in and out of the water to keep swimmers in shape. This year the girls swim team had their biggest victory against St.Charles, beating them 157 to 78. They also beat Thomas Stone, Chopticon, and Patuxent this year. Savannah has gone to states every year since her freshman year. At this years state championships, the boys finished 5th and the girls finished 15th. The girls 200 free relay team placed 6th place and Savannah individually placed 22nd in the 500 and 14th in the 50. Savannah is a fast swimmer but also has endurance which allows her to compete in both the 50 and 500.
Being a student athlete can become quite the balancing act. After school, the swim team has a study hall where they can do their homework before they get on the bus to go to practice. Developing time management skills by participating in sports during the school will improve the organization of your adult life. Being a member of the swim team has allowed Savannah to strengthen her social skills because she has to cooperate with other members of her team. Swimming is an individual and team sport which means cooperation and social skills are required for success.
“Don’t stop, stay in shape, work hard, and listen to your coaches.” – Savannah Maddox ’17
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