The Billings Central Swim Team knows what a state championship win looks like. In fact, of the last 17 state championships, the girls have won 14 and the boys have won 12. So far, they have competed in their first four meets and are swimming their way to another victory in the future. The Rams have faced and overcome adversity during those meets.
On December 9th, the Central swim team competed at the Billings Invitational, which consisted of teams from the three public high schools in Billings as well as Bozeman, Bozeman Gallatin, Havre, and Hardin. The boys team placed first and the girls team placed fifth. “It is like a year of rebuilding for the girls team,” said Junior Madeleine Prill. “Even though we lost a lot of seniors, we have freshmen and sophomores who are stepping up to fill roles where they are needed. I am optimistic that we will improve throughout the season and be strong contenders for another championship win.”
The following week, the swim team competed at the Great Falls Relay Meet. This meet included teams from Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Havre, Hardin, and Whitefish. “I enjoyed this meet, because I got to compete in relays with people that I normally wouldn’t compete with,” said senior Matthew Rah. “It’s also especially fun to be part of a relay team, since swim is usually more of an individual sport than a team sport.
“My favorite part of swim is cheering the team on, and the relay meet provided the perfect opportunity to do that,” junior Bailey Roesch added. Even missing a few swimmers due to a club meet, the team remained strong; the boys team clung to 5th and the girls team placed 4th.
Junior Will Zink competes in a breaststroke relay during the Bob McKinnon Memorial Relay Meet at Great Falls High School. (Photo by Myah Kunz)
Finally, in the third meet against Hardin and the Billings public schools, Central placed 2nd overall for girls and 1st for boys. “Even though we have talented swimmers on both the boys and girls teams, I think that one of the reasons why we are successful is because of the team atmosphere that we bring to each meet,” said Prill. “We are like a family, and we always have each other’s backs. I am confident that we will succeed as a team in our future meets and at the state championship as well.”
Senior Gillian Henning and sophomore Teaghan Vaira pose during the Bob McKinnon Memorial Relay Meet at Great Falls High School. (Photo courtesy Myah Kunz )
Senior David Ramshaw competes in a backstroke relay during the Bob McKinnon Memorial Relay Meet at Great Falls High School
