SHEBOYGAN (NBC 26) — The Sheboygan Christian swim team is nearing the end of its first season in school history, marking the launch of a program that nearly didn’t exist. While building a new team from the ground up came with challenges, Head Coach Dane Van Allen said it has been a rewarding process that provides students with new athletic opportunities.
“It’s just a fun sport, it’s a challenging sport, it’s a rewarding sport,” Van Allen said. “It’s also a less common sport, and I think it’s a really good fit for kids who, like me, aren’t destined to be stick-and-ball athletes. It’s reaching into a whole different pool of kids who may not normally have a winter sport to do.”
Freshman swimmer Nolan Schmitt wasn’t sure if he’d get the chance to compete in high school.
“My parents reached out to our athletic director saying, ‘Hey, is this something we could possibly figure out?'” Schmitt said. “And all of a sudden, I get a call from my athletic director. He’s like, ‘Tell your mom to give me a call. I’ve got big news for you.’ And he hangs up. Then he says, ‘We found a coach. We found a pool. This is happening. We’re actually going to have a team this season. We’re signed up for this many meets.’ That was probably one of my favorite nights last winter. It was just awesome.”
Recruiting a Team
Once the program was approved, the next challenge was getting enough athletes to compete in a relay.
“We were searching around, searching around, trying to find a fourth guy,” Schmitt said. “I was sitting at the lunch table one day, and my buddy comes up to me and he’s like, ‘Hey, I’m interested in the swim team. How does that all work?’ I said, ‘Come with me, hop in my car, just come with me to practice.’”
That conversation helped fill out the team’s relay lineup, and from there, the Eagles jumped into their first season, learning the ins and outs of high school competition.
“With it being a first-year program, it’s a lot of people’s first meets,” Schmitt said. “It’s my first high school season. I’m a freshman, so I’m still figuring out heat orders and all that kind of stuff. But we’re all figuring it out slowly.”
Van Allen said the first year was focused on learning the fundamentals and preparing for future seasons.
“This year, being all underclassmen—we had three freshmen and one sophomore—it was mostly about getting our feet wet and giving them a sense of what the sport’s like, how the meets go, that kind of thing,” he said. “Hopefully we can build on that next year, and then if we have new kids coming out, they can look to the guys who have been there, done that, and learn from them.”
Laying the Foundation for Growth
As a first-time head coach, Van Allen said one of the most rewarding aspects of the season has been seeing the progress his team has made.
“To see the kids put in the work and stay committed throughout the year, and then just be writing checks, writing checks, writing checks—just to come to the end of the year and cash them in—is rewarding for me as a coach,” Van Allen said. “But I also think it’s a good lesson for them: You put in the work on something, you keep your nose to the grindstone, and there’s a payoff at the end. You just have to be patient and diligent about the work.”
While the first season has been a success, the team has big goals for the future—including increasing the roster size.
“One thing everyone wants to see is this team grow,” Schmitt said. “A little bigger, be able to swim more events, have more people in more relays, and tally up more points at meets.”
Van Allen, who swam on a high school team in Iowa with 70 athletes, agreed.
“Hopefully, as time goes on and word of mouth spreads, the boys this year had a good experience, and they go and talk to their friends and get them to come out,” he said. “It’s one of those sports where, yes, it’s an individual sport, but it’s much more fun with a bigger team.”
Finding a Permanent Home Pool
The team currently splits practices between two different pools, but a long-term goal is to secure a dedicated facility.
“Just finding a place that we can go whenever we want and make practices on our schedule would be huge,” Schmitt said. “Having a home pool would make a world of difference.”
Van Allen agreed, saying consistency in scheduling will be a priority next year.
“We’re still traveling between two pools, but having a consistent time was helpful,” he said. “I hope that next year we can build on that and maybe start working in some morning practices, more dry-land, and weight training—those extra things that can help kids improve.”
Looking Ahead
Regardless of what the future holds, Schmitt said this first group of athletes will always be able to say they were there at the beginning.
“Of course, I don’t know where this program’s gonna go,” Schmitt said. “I think this program is definitely going places. I don’t know how fast we’re gonna get to those places or what it’s gonna be, but I haven’t wrapped my head around it whatsoever. It’s super cool, and it’s almost monumental what we’ve done this season—the improvement we’ve made, going from our athletic director and school knowing nothing about swim teams to now actually having one. I think this program is definitely going places.”
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Publish date : 2025-02-20 18:39:00
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