Wheat Ridge boys who are interested in swimming are lucky enough to participate in this sport while spring starts to bloom.

Practicing five days a week at the Wheat Ridge Rec Center, coach and chemistry teacher Dean Miller and Rocky Mountain Thunder seniors swim team coach Nathan Hamilton tell freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior boys how to kick faster, pull their arms harder, and make sure to perfect a swimmer’s stroke, flip turn, and diving. The swim team lets high school boys who don’t have a swim team at their school or are homeschooled also be part of the team.

The Farmers attended the Jeffco relay meet at George J. Meyers pool Saturday, April 7. Senior Sean Rojas from Holy Family, swam a 50-yard breaststroke in a whopping 28.9 seconds, placing second in the relay. Impressed by his swim, the coaches hope to be able to have him in League and State this year, along with sophomores Tanner Crouch, Flynn Hannaway, and Ryan Peterson, junior Tanner Dalton, senior Nate Rockenfeller, and homeschooled senior Ben Hoppes.

The Wheat Ridge boys have swim meets every Friday, usually at the rec center down the street from the school, with a few at Meyers pool, and at other high school pools. Both coaches push the boys to their limits with sprinting, long distance, and repeating practices of diving and flip turns for perfection. Being able to get in the icy cold water after a long day is either the worst or best part of the boys’ day.

“I’ve been swimming since freshman year of high school, and it’s been one of the best sports I’ve played,” said Tanner Dalton, junior at Wheat Ridge. Of course, water polo on Thursdays is all of the boys’ favorite day of the season, being able to dunk, slam, and pull the ball away from teammates.
“Watching the boys suffer on some days makes my day even better, considering they’re all frustrated 15, 16, and 17-year old boys swimming with a female manager,” states assistant coach Nate.

This season has been a good one for all the boys, and many more to come with the incoming freshman, and continuously returning members from years before. Much like the cheer, “we like corn, we like barns, let’s get in the water and move our arms,” the boys are doing exactly that, with impressive results and happily satisfied coaches.