Tallulah Bates '25
It can be said with much confidence that the Cate School Swim Team has heralded in a very successful season. They’ve competed in three meets, with simply astounding results from all of them. Notable victories included record-breaking races from Jenevieve Won ‘26 in the Girls Varsity 100 Fly, as well as Phin Stephensen’s ‘25 100 Breast.
But what is it like to be a Cate School swimmer? Surely the most effective way to engage with this deadly-fast and close-knit team would be to infiltrate the source; become a double-agent, so to speak. Well, this is exactly what occurred. Below, you will find a series of first-hand accounts and real-life excerpts from a week in the life of a Cate School Swimmer.
MONDAY
As the afternoon sun beamed brightly down upon the deck, the atmosphere was cooled by the smooth tunes which ebbed from Jen’s speaker–nothing like a bit of Katy Perry circa 2011 to get the blood pumping. Once every team member had arrived, the group swiftly assembled themselves and prepared to start the dry-land warm up. Backward lunges worked alongside every single form of arm swing one could imagine, but not before too long, you could hear the smack of caps and goggles as swimmers lined up at the blocks.
The in-pool warm up consisted of “10 somethings on the 2-minute,” occasionally interrupted by Dr. Tobin White’s advice concerning flip-turns: “a head submerged holds less drag than a head that has surfaced, so keep your eyes down!” This was followed by the pre-set, approximately eight 50 yard swims, once again with a narrowed focus on turns, a seemingly perfect segway into this Monday afternoon’s main set: 15x100s. The lanes to the far left of the pool swam these on an impressive 1:15 minutes per 100 interval, setting the base for the intervals in the following lanes, each increasing by five seconds. This set was nothing to die for, but certainly nothing to joke about. Slow and steady wins the race, and while these intervals were far from slow, it was the steadiness that really made the extra mile. It was a constant countdown, until everyone seemed to forget which 100 they were on, and had to repeatedly ask for reminders from their teammates. But hey! If that’s not comradery, then what is?
It seemed like everyone had been swimming for miles, but at last the 15th 100 was completed. Make no mistake–practice was far from over! Just when the water bottles had run dry, the goggles had fogged over, and the calves began to cramp, the team jumped into 8x25 sprints! However daunting these may have seemed at first glance, they quite honestly felt like a breeze, and a great way to close the day…but not without Myla ‘23 giving the team cheer!
Total yards swam = 3,100 (2835m)
Quote of the day = “The faster you swim, the quicker it’s over,” (Lylie Bechtel ‘23)
TUESDAY
Stella grinned. “It’s going to be a hard one. Red day!” Oh boy, was she right. Coach Erik Hansen divides his sets into three categories: red, green, and yellow. As the name would suggest, red days involve a myriad of high intensity sprints, usually many circuits of short distances. Green days are aerobic and tend to have the highest mileage, incorporating long distances into the sets. Yellow sessions are recovery days, focusing on one or two skills such as dives, turns, or underwaters.
The afternoon started off with Coach Hansen’s dog shuffling around bestowing licks and kisses upon the swimmers while everyone did their dry-land. The in-pool warm up was pretty straight-forward, some 1000 yards on approximately 1-2 minutes per each 100. The pre-set that followed this moved steadily into the ‘red-zone’ with 8x25s with a focus on underwater kicking and breakouts.
For the main set, the team swam a whopping total of 48x25s, 40 of which were head down, sprint AFAP (as fast as possible) between 15-25 second intervals. However grueling they may have seemed at the moment, it must be said that this set went by as fast as the intervals.
The main set was then followed by another 16x25s of kick to cool-down, featuring the “titanic kick,” where one places their arms towards the sky and kicks on their back. It’s called the titanic kick because you can’t help but sink as you swim. And while Nicole Teh ‘23 had attempted to close the curtain with a cheer, she was sadly usurped by fellow captain Cyrus Symington ‘23. All in all, it was quite the afternoon, that’s for sure!
Total yards swam = 3,200 (2925m)
Quote of the day = “Wanna play hangman?” (Nicole Teh ‘23 & Karla Camacho ‘24)
WEDNESDAY
Ah, another green day. On that brisk Wednesday afternoon, it was not the punk rock band that made an appearance, but the specific type of set Coach Hansen applies to improving his swimmers’ endurance. Following the usual dry-land warm up, the groups descended into their in-pool warm up. These 1200 yards included a perfectly harmonized reversed individual medley (IM), three rounds of 200 swim, 100 of 75 drill/25 swim, and 4x25 sprint kick. Many swimmers past lane six appeared a little caught off guard once the team reached the fly round, but they made it through in the end!
And on to the main set. Coach Hansen honored the third day of the week with another three rounds, amounting to 700 yards each. The first round had 2x100s pull on 1:45 minutes per 100, followed by 2x50 sprint kick. Then the group continued onto 2x200s stroke, trying to maintain a 70% effort. For the second and third round, the first two portions of the set remained exactly the same. However, the final 400 was divided into 4x100s for the second round, and 8x50s for the second round, gradually increasing perceived effort by 5%.
After this set, the team relished in their 100 pull to cool off. But Coach Hansen had a wicked surprise in store: 2x50 sprint for time! First 50 as kick, and second with a dive (block start for backstrokers). At last everyone could truly relax into a 100 easy swim, with a sadly unknown swimmer reciting the team cheer.
Total yards swam = 3,600 (3291m)
Quote POEM of the day = An Ode to Pull Day (Myla van Lynde ‘23)
It’s time to pull
Our hearts all full
All bad feelings are null
There is no bull-
THURSDAY
While some had feared the rain would persist through the late afternoon, the clouds departed and the sun rose, exuberant and shining. All was well as Thursday was recovery day! Before hopping into the crystal clear waters, the team worked to set up for Friday’s competition. Mats were laid, chairs set up, and touch pads were lowered onto the walls. The team swam through the standard meet warmup, which was approximately 1,100 yards starting with a 400 easy pace, then 4x100 drill, and finally 8x50s building tempo and aggression in the water.
The main set was written to help the team recover and rejuvenate in preparation for the next day. The swimmers began with a 500 yards as 75 free and 25 stroke, followed by 2x25 in slow motion, with perfect form. This was repeated, but as a 300 then 4x25, and once again as a 100 and 6x25. It must be said that more than a couple swimmers neglected to swim these 25s in genuine slow motion, as the competitive drive is rife on the Cate Swim Team.
To finish the day, the team swam 8x50s and 8x25s practicing relay starts, which really was a great way to share advice from swimmer to swimmer. Many words of encouragement from one teammate to another could be heard between dives. This supportive atmosphere continued on steadily into the meet day. Thursday evening closed with a team cheer from team captain, Cyrus Symington ‘23.
Total yards swam = 3000
Quote of the day = “Did you see him fly?” (Kendall Rhee ‘24)
FRIDAY
Friday afternoon felt charged with anticipation and giddy excitement for the races to come. By the time the clock struck 3, almost every Cate School swimmer had arrived on deck, and as per usual, the team grouped together and completed their land exercises. As the pool was inevitably shared with the teams of St Bonaventure and Foothill Tech, swimmers crammed in up to eight in a lane as they completed the meet warm up. After a few dives, most wrapped themselves in their towels and sat waiting for their upcoming races.
Coaches Hansen and White remarked that the amount of support each swimmer received was “outstanding.” There was not a single race or even a single lane that was without its own personal cheer squad.
Results:
Spectators watched, mesmerized, as both varsity teams won outstanding victories! First place finishes for the Girls and Boys Varsity 200 Medley Relay started the meet, followed by a victory in the Girls Varsity 50 free from Stella Rogers ‘25 and Boys Varsity 50 free from Joba Samson ‘25. Jenevieve Won ‘26 competed to break her own school record in the Girls Varsity 100 Fly, and then went on to contribute to the Girls Varsity 200 Freestyle Relay team’s 1st place finish, a collective time just shy of breaking the school record (under half a second). For the Boys Varsity, Phin Stephenson swam a very successful 100 yard breastroke, obliterating another school record. To finish the afternoon, coaches and teammates alike watched in awe as the 400 freestyle relay’s dream team of Eric Jin ‘26, Ben White ‘25, Elliot Paige ‘26 and Cyrus simply demolished our guests.
After the racing was over, everyone gathered to enjoy words of praise and hot pizza. Now, the team looks forward to a couple weeks of intense training, in preparation for the last stretch of competition. Perhaps the swimmers can expect more spectators from the Cate community at future meets!
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