Photo by Will Cornelius
Jen Conlon swimming the 100-yard breaststroke.

By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

The first race said it all. Less than six seconds away.
High school swim meets typically begin with the 200-yard medley relay—four swimmers, four styles and a lot of energy. Last season, the Berthoud High School swim squad set a new school record of 1:54.91 at the state swim meet in Thornton on the final day.
This Tuesday in Loveland, Spartan swimmers let it be known that the record is in danger yet again. In the first swim meet of the season against Thompson Valley High School, Berthoud’s best finished the same race with a time of 2:00.40.
Like track or cross country, the season’s goal is for shorter times each week. Faster and better is every team’s motto throughout the season.
After assisting in a resounding medley relay win, junior Corinne Roberts hopped back into the pool and swam the 200-yard freestyle in 2:11.83 for Berthoud’s next first-place finish.
It was back-and-forth in each event, but in the end, the Spartans held fast and won the meet against Thompson Valley with a 96-point team win.
“It went excellent,” said first-year Head Swim Coach Krista Markell about the team’s performance. “Where they were performing today is a good indicator of where we are going.”
Returning after breaking records in her freshman and sophomore years, Roberts said, “The first week is always building the foundations for the rest of the season.”
It was a strong foundation based on the performance last Tuesday as multiple Spartans showed they were serious about swimming at state.
Audrey Gravestock took first in the 100-yard freestyle race. Roberts finished only 20 seconds behind the school record in the 500-yard freestyle.
Going fast while building strength and endurance is the goal now Markell mentioned. And swimmers also have their own goal, namely the 200-yard medley relay team. “They have a goal to beat their team record,” Markell stated.
Early in the season and with a strong showing at their first swim meet, Spartan swimmers will make this the baseline to improve from. Working on walls and keeping heads down are still areas for improvement though said Markell.
Berthoud will host the Break the Ice Invitational at the Mountain View Aquatic Center on Dec. 9. Volunteers are still needed to help at the event that raises most of the funds for the Spartan girls swim team. To support Berthoud swimming, visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F4BABAF2EA5FC1-46267642-bhsswimdive#/.