Park boys swimming took on Chaska/Chanhassen for their final home meet of the season, but something was extra special about the meet. As it was the final home meet of the season, it was also senior night. Park celebrated their seniors: Henry Salida and Daniel Cameron, two swimmers that have been a part of the program for many years. Unfortunately, Park was not celebrating after the meet, as a highly ranked Chaska/Chanhassen beat Park 53-41.
Coach Amanda Forsberg said she knew the opposing coach in this meet, so it made for a different way of preparing. She said she tried to match the way Chaska/Chanhassen’s coach sets up races when preparing for the meet.
“I knew this coach really well, and he sets up races for us,” Forsberg said. “We tried to match that everyone had someone to chase or had a good race, where you could see close finishes for all the events. That’s always a lot of fun.”
Junior Henry Berg said he worked extremely hard to prepare for this meet. He said he really gave this meet his all and gave his maximum effort heading into the final home meet and senior night.
“Just rigorous training for weeks and just working hard every single day and doing our best so we do well, it’s senior night,” Berg said.
According to Senior Daniel Cameron, his experience and how he feels he has had a positive impact on the boys swimming program at Park. He said he tries to help out his teammates as much as possible.
“I think I’ve had a pretty big impact. I’ve always tried to help out the younger kids, especially with their technique,” Cameron said. “I’ve been doing it for a long time now and it’s really amazing to watch them grow.”
Berg said the seniors have had a profound impact on his swimming experience. He said they have pushed him to be a better swimmer.
“I can’t express how big of an impact they’ve had. I’ve swam with Henry since I was 10 years old, and they’ve been leaders on this team,” Berg said. “They’ve helped push me through practice every single day and it’s so nice and they’ve really impacted my swimming experience for the better.”
With sections coming up, Cameron said the team needs to work on technical things to get ready and improve before sections. He said it is crucial to improve turns and breakouts.
“Going into sections I think mostly we need to work on our turns and break out, so breathing off that sort of stuff on the turn,” Cameron said.
Forsberg said she is looking forward to sections and that she looks forward to preparing the team.
“I think the season has gone really well. We’re very small but very talented,” Forsberg said. “I’m excited for sections and helping these guys to succeed.”
The next boys swim meet will be section prelims on Feb. 22. At Edina, time is yet to be determined.
