“I can do stuff that I’m afraid of... I’ve trained for this, and I know I can do it,” said senior Megan Gunderson as she detailed the feeling of accomplishment that comes from not only swimming in a challenging race but leading a team that she has been a part of for six years. Gunderson makes up a quarter of the team’s senior captains, along with her twin sister Norah, Samantha Stevens, and Reece Ramey.
As a group, the captains strive for excellence not only in their individual races but also in their leadership. After a successful start of the season, their efforts have continued to yield positive results. “We’ve had two conference meets, and we won both of them. We’ve had one invitational at which we got second place by one point,” Stevens said at the beginning of September. They have since competed in two more meets and placed second at both. Moving forward, the captains are hoping for a grand finale in their senior year. “I hope we win the conference, I hope we send a relay to state, and I hope I break a section record,” two-time state competitor N. Gunderson said excitedly, voicing her hopes for the team as well as her personal goal.
The individual aspect of swimming is an important element. Unlike other team sports, the athletes are essentially alone in the pool. However, after attending a Hermantown-Proctor swim team meet, it becomes abundantly clear that swimming is just as collaborative as any other sport. Not only do the athletes work together in relay-style races, but there are always teammates supporting those in the pool. “We always have at least two people at the end of every lane cheering,” M. Gunderson said. “It’s something that’s so important to us.” Their cheers of “go!” and “you’ve got it!” can be heard from several hallways away, and it’s easy to see that this camaraderie runs deep. “It’s just how we are,” Ramey explains. “I feel like when you join the team, it’s already a thing... Somewhere within you is already this spirit of being on a team, and sometimes you just need the right people around you to really bring out that sort of teamwork.”
The Gunderson twins took on varsity swimming for the first time as seventh graders, Stevens as an eighth grader, and Ramey as a tenth grader. “Most of us have been swimming together for at least two years, and up to six.” M. Gunderson said. In that time, they have each gained valuable knowledge about what it means to commit to something. “It’s taught me a lot of hard work and patience... and how much hard work you actually have to put into things if you want to see positive results,” Stevens said. M. Gunderson echoed the statement by reflecting on how a difficult race can drain a swimmer not only physically but mentally. “I’ve learned [to be] confident in myself and my abilities,” she said. “...and I think that kind of experience can be applied to real life.”
What is most striking about this group of seniors is their commitment to leading their team in a way that allows each and every teammate to have the same fun, positive, and formative experience as they had under their predecessors. By fostering the unity that is evident in their unshakable support of each other, putting in the work to better themselves, and giving their younger teammates a strong group of leaders to look up to, these four seniors are showing that swimming is more than humid, chlorine-scented rooms and the time on the scoreboard. It’s a team. N. Gunderson articulated this sense of community. “Although it’s an individual sport, we couldn’t get anywhere without each other.”
To learn more about the Proctor-Hermantown girls swim team, check out the captain-run Instagram page (@phswimteam) or the MSHSL website for a complete schedule and roster.
📸 Shawna Jokinen | Freeway North Photography
The above article appeared in the October issue of Hawks Today, the Hermantown High School student newspaper.