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Lady Tigers swim team off to good start
The Smith-Cotton girls swim and dive team has had a strong start to the season and have been supporting each other every step of the way.
Head coach Jerry Tankersley believes their team is strong because they have some leaders with lots of experience. Assistant Coach Michelle Steger feels that another strength of the team is their continuous support for each other. Steger added that there is no drama among the team members and they put each other first. She has also noticed all of the hard work that the girls put in and practice, and thinks the constant encouragement adds to that.
Both Tankersley and Steger agree that senior Hunter Sparks has stepped up and began to lead the team. She leads her teammates is stretches before practice and is always cheering on her teammates when they’re competing. Sparks tries to lead by being a good example for her teammates so that they can all build each other up.
“I try to encourage, motivate, and support everyone so that they know that we all believe in them and want them to be their best,” Sparks said.
Tankersley wants the girls to improve their times as he hopes to take some of them to the state contest. Steger believes if the girls work on endurance and keep pushing themselves, they can meet these goals.
For her senior season, Sparks would like to break the 500 freestyle record, and work on her sprint times. This season is emotional for Sparks and she is preparing to let go to an important time in her life.
“Swim is more important to me than anything else and I’m really going to miss it,” she said.