| Valley
Christian High School * 100 Skyway Drive, San Jose,
CA 95111 * www.valleychristian.net |
| JUNIOR VARSITY Freshman Jonathan Grizzle
fidgeted nervously during the interview, glancing furtively toward
the pool deck and then back at the classroom he emerged from.
Clearly, his thoughts were on the enticing aqua blue water of
the pool deck. The obvious longing to jump in the pool was written
across his face in obvious lines. “Yeah, I like swimming,”
he admitted, shrugging in a nonchalant way. “I mainly do
it to keep in shape for water polo, though it’s also fun.”
Although the team is comprised of mostly freshmen, who Grizzle
claims “have no idea how to swim, as they’ve never
swam competitively before,” the J.V. boys are making visible
progress. What is so amazing about this years team is that never
before has Valley Christian had a J.V. boys swimming or water
polo team. Because of the novelty of these two sports, many of
the boys who competed on J.V. polo stayed on for the swimming
season to keep in shape for the coming year’s polo season.
The team is comprised of mostly freshmen, with the exception of
two sophomores. Despite the new faces, the team is making visible
progress in this new section of Valley swimming. The team captains,
Brian Able and Denny Peterson have done an excellent job leading
and guiding their fellow teammates. Thanks to their dedication
to the sport and perseverance, they are setting up the years to
come as a force to be reckoned with. Although their record remains
0-3, the leaps and bounds that these guys have made are extraordinary.
While they battle through every practice and compete with their
all at every meet, they are building skills that will aide them
both in and out of the pool. The real progress is in the relationships
that these young high school students have forged, with both teammates
as well as their coach, Caleb Carlson. “The great thing
about Caleb is that he’s really good at relating to us high
schoolers,” admitted freshman Aiden Lenihan. “It feels
like I’m just talking to one of the guys when we hang out
with him.” His sentiments are obviously shared with the
other teammates as well, as they regularly meet out on the pool
deck at lunch for male bonding. Two meets remain to their season
as well as league championships. Come out to support your Valley
Christian J.V. boys swim team! |