During his final league meet, swim coach Tyson Frenn gathered the entire team for his last pre-meet talk. 2017 marked the 15th consecutive CAL(Capital Athletic League) championship for the team, Frenn told us to cherish the time we were on the team and to give it our all to secure our 15th year of victory.

The entire team chuckled amongst themselves at the ridiculousness of the idea of trying, during the regular season every league meet was won handily. Champs was a expected to be a cakewalk.

In response to the laughter Frenn said, “This is a great time for the swim team and 15 years of championships is a great accomplishment, but someday and I don’t know when, but there will be a day when Rio won’t be the guaranteed winners of the league.”

Frenn’s prophecy came true this year and at champs in 2019 no one will be laughing.

All sports teams have moved from division III to division II of the CAL, this added competition could be enough to challenge the 16 year reign of swim team.

This bodes poorly for the win record of other sports as well, dominant teams, such as water polo and tennis, must work in order to maintain their previous levels of success.

While the change in league is concerning for the numeric success of teams, with the anticipated number of close games or losses increasing. What I expect to grow significantly is the overall talent of athletes. With the advent of a new league and higher levels of competition, athletes will be forced to step up their game.

This is true for all sports, not just swim. With skilled competition comes a need to rise to the occasion. Success leaves little room for growth, and when athletes can walk into a game with no concern, it plants the seeds of laziness.

When athletes are forced to work for their victories it inevitably leads to a harder-working team, which is far more important than a trophy.