Imagine the smell of chlorine, the sound of water slapping the ground, and enough humidity to make anyone’s hair curl. These are common conditions for a swimmer.

Just to clarify, Kaneland does have a swim team despite not having a pool. The option is available so that any swimmer in the high school can represent Kaneland.

Athletes who swim for Kaneland have to face different conditions than athletes that swim for a high school that has a pool.

Each Kaneland swimmer has to be a part of a local swim team. Someone who swims for Kaneland would have to swim at their team’s pool separate from their teammates. Although during the normal season, the swimmer would compete with their original team.

The most common teams joined are Dekalb County Swim Team (DCST), St. Charles Swim Team (SCST), Geneva River Rats, and The Academy Bullets. Some of the swimmers at Kaneland include sophomore Thaddeus Thompson swims for SCST, freshman Amanda Eckstrom swims for SCST in the winter and swims for the River Rats in the summer, and freshman Gunnar Magnuson swims for the Bullets. Thompson is the only one currently competing for Kaneland.

“Swimming is really fun to do as a team,” Eckstrom said.

If the swimmer chooses to swim for Kaneland, he or she will represent it in Sectionals, and if they qualify, State. Sectionals were on February 21, and State will be on February 28th.

“I swim for Kaneland because going to Sectionals is really cool,” Thompson said.

During the normal season, the swimmer would compete with their original team.

“I love swimming, it’s cool, it’s a stress reliever, it gives you a place to accomplish goals and time to think,” Magnuson said.

Also during the normal season, each swimmer goes through various practices to improve. Thompson practices nine times a week. Depending on homework, Eckstrom practices five times a week, and Magnuson swims three times a week.

“This is my first time on a competitive team, so I don’t swim that much yet,” Magnuson said.