Swim evolves from club to team

After a season of being a club, the Milton High School Swim Team is now recognized as a Varsity sport. Ms. Veronica J. G. Irvine, who is known as Coach Vee to her team, is the team’s head coach.

Coach Irvine said she is very happy and excited for the change in recognition by the school. “It will not change their talent or abilities, but it will change their pride in representing the school and to have others more aware of this Sport,” said Coach Irvine.

Junior Haylee Carl is captain of the swim team. “I think what is going to change with this sport for me is actually getting recognized and getting people an understanding that we’re here just like any other team competing in this school,” she said. “Yes we’re new, but that doesn’t mean we don’t work as hard as other sports teams in this district.”

According to Coach Irvine, Milton had a swim team in the past but it ended due to a decline in participants. Last year was the team’s first season after not competing for several years, she said. Junior Brandon Newcomer qualified and competed at regionals last year, she added.

Coach Irvine said she hopes more people will join the team, and she anticipates 11 people signing up for team for the winter season. Coach Irvine added she has a few middle school swimmers who have competed before at the regional and state levels who will join when they reach high school.

According to Coach Irvine, the swim team does not have its own competitive pool or access to a competitive pool, unlike other schools such as Lewisburg High School. She added this means the team cannot host meets. Coach Irvine said she hopes the new pool at the YMCA in Lewisburg will change this by allowing the team to host meets there.

Last season, when the swim club went to meets, Milton students had to compete as independents and not as a team, said Coach Irvine. This meant that the swimmers could only compete in two events each, and they got no score recognition in those events, which will change now that they are a team, she said.

Outside of coaching the Milton swim team, Coach Irvine said she has been coaching swim for 48 years and is the head coach of the summer swim program “The Rockets,” which swim at the Milton Community Pool. She added she owns her own business, Vee’s Variations, where she teaches First Aid to groups at schools, businesses and other organizations.