Swim leaves La Mirada behind

Julia Ruiz, Sports Editor

April 4, 2011

The varsity girls swim team defeated the La Mirada Matadores with a score of 125-44, on March 31, at the Downey Aquatics Center. With CIF qualifications on the line, pressure built to rise above and succeed.

The meet started off strong with the girls quickly rising on the scoreboard leaving the Matadores behind by ten points. As the match proceeded, the Vikings eventually left La Mirada in the dust as they walked away victorious adding another win to their record.

“I felt that the girls did very well,” Coach Castro said. “A lot of them had best times.”

Along with winning the meet, many of the Vikes had qualifying CIF times. Senior Lindsey Gonzalez qualified for the 100-meter butterfly, sophomore Meghan Nevarez for the 50 and 100-meter freestyle, and the 4×100 freestyle relay team of Jessica Badalamenti, Faith Hundtoft, Olivia Aguirre, and Meghan Nevarez reached automatic CIF qualification time. Senior Jessica Badalamenti, having already attended CIF, feels confident about this year’s team.

“I’ve been to CIF for this relay before so I’m not that nervous but I think we’re going to do better this year,” Badalamenti said. “Everybody’s getting faster and we have faster swimmers this year.”

The girls still have much work to do in order to be successful in CIF, but they each stand united by one another, pushing themselves and their teammates to victory.

“We are encouraging to each other and reassure one another that the other will do well when they compete,” junior Beverly Naves said. “The reassurance we give to each other, I believe, helps immensely because although it’s always good to believe in yourself it also helps to know that others believe in you too.”

The girls swim team is stronger than ever. They carry a record of 4-1 and already have swimmers on their way to CIF.

“This has been the best season that I have seen in a long time,” Coach Castro said. “I feel that we can win the rest of our meets this season.”

With hard work and perseverance, the team is capable of ending the season 10-1 and setting a new school record.

About the Contributor

Julia Ruiz, Sports Editor

Current senior, Julia Ruiz, is The Downey Legend’s new Sports Editor for the 2011-2012 year. She considers herself an art enthusiast but claims she isn’t particularly good at art. In her spare time Ruiz enjoys reading and watching her favorite soccer team, F.C. Barcelona, play. She also likes running and spending time with her family. Ruiz is an AP student who works hard to get a high GPA and excel in her favorite subject: English. For Ruiz, the greatest motivation to join The Downey Legend was to, “gain experience as a journalist and get and idea of the career.” With her experience here, the promising writer hopes to eventually become a successful journalist. She hopes to attend the University of Chicago and double-major in English and Journalism with a possible minor in Art History. It is evident that Ruiz is hardworking and determined to better the sports section of The Downey Legend.