On its path to the district and state championships, the Pickerington high school swim teams proved that with hard work and determination, great things can be achieved.
The boys swim team at Pickerington High School North secured second at sectionals and 10th at districts, and the girls team secured third at sectionals and 12th at districts. Pickerington High School Central’s swim team didn’t lag far behind in its own achievements, with the boys having scored sixth at sectionals and 22nd at districts and the girls securing seventh at sectionals in the 2020 postseason.
Despite the pandemic and it being PHSN swim coach Chris Motz’s and PHSC swim coach Maura Parker’s first seasons, both teams went ahead to achieve great victories – including Brett Eberhardt of PHSC securing first place in the men’s 50 freestyle at sectionals.
Parker describes the early stages of coaching her team as being very interesting because she noticed that her athletes hadn’t received the support they needed to succeed in the past. She started from scratch and began by setting team goals as well as individual goals to note their performance.
“It’s based around setting standards, setting certain requirements for them to come early and practice doing what they need to in order to push themselves and their teammates,” says Parker. “Especially since we are a small team, every little thing counts.”
Because the PHSC swim team had practiced as one team with the PHSN swim team since 2013, Parker says that her first season as a coach was a bit of a struggle. It was also hard because the whole team couldn’t gather in close contact due to social distancing guidelines. But despite the hardships, Parker believes the outcome was worth it.
“I was a happy coach. Every single female athlete achieved what they wanted to and I saw the boys work incredibly hard the whole week,” says Parker. “The district meet was a bit different than what I had expected, not a lot of them qualified because the rules were different for everybody. But they still performed the best that they could and there’s nothing more I could’ve asked for. I was thrilled.”
Swimming Superlative
Brett Eberhardt of PHSC securing first place in the men’s 50 freestyle at sectionals was an accomplishment not only for himself but for his entire team. Being a four-year varsity athlete and having the highest team GPA this past season, Parker says that Brett was a great role model for underclassmen.
“He’s very quiet. It’s hard to get him to talk, but I think he proves what he wants to say in the pool,” says Parker. “A lot of the athletes refer to him as a shark because he’s silent but fast. But in my first year of Pickerington Central, I think he was kind of hesitant of a female coach he’s never met before, but I think overall he warmed up to me and we had a great season.”
Brett doesn’t plan on swimming next year when he goes off to college; Instead he wants to focus on his studies.
“I look forward to seeing what he does in the coming years,” says Parker. “Seeing how he achieved the same school record that used to be his brother’s, I think he’s had a great championship season.”
Sanaya Attari is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
