Death, Taxes and the Dow Girls Swimming & Diving team standing at the top of the Valley Championship podium when all is said and done. For well over a decade the Chargers had conquered the conference landscape in the sport. Then came Grand Blanc, the new SVL kid on the block. The Bobcats had not only dethroned Dow but repeated as Champions in 2020. 2021 was a year of redemption for the Lady Chargers, as they reclaimed the SVL throne and put in another top 10 finish at the State Championships. I talked to Head Coach Chilly Smith about the program, the past few years and what lies ahead for the 2022 Season!
You win the Valley Last Year, which was a story in itself, de-throning Grand Blanc after their 2 year reign, after they snapped the 13 Year Dow win streak. What did it feel like to get the title back in Charger hands? Was it something, during the year that gave the girls a little more inspiration to get the crown back?
“The girls worked hard during the Summer months. During the first week of practice most of the swimmers were already in pretty good shape! Yes! We wanted to give ourselves a chance to win back the Valley Championship! This helped the swimmers stay the course when the practices became extremely hard! Which included 5:15 morning practices, dryland and Saturday practices. We also try to swim elite competition 3 to 4 times per season. Winning back the Valley Championship was gratifying. At the end of the day you realize how hard the swimmers and divers worked to earn the right to be champions once again! It was a complete TEAM Effort!”
2021 was the 5th time in 6 years Dow has finished 10th or higher at the State Championships. What do you think contributes to the program being on an elite level year in and year out?
“Dedication by our athletes and coaches. We like to believe at Dow High, that no one works harder than we do. My favorite saying is – No one said swimming was easy! Our athletes realize if they work hard they will eventually swim fast! We preach having “passion” for the sport of swimming. If you have passion you can usually get through anything. Lastly, “the team”! The team comes before any individual. Our captains and many of our athletes sacrifice things for their teammates! We try to be there for each other during practice and meets! Our team culture is everything to us!”
And because of those expectations, is there a sense of pressure each year to live up to the accomplishments that you have achieved over the past 5-6 years?
We feel very little pressure each year! We have always put the focus on the team every year. What do the coaches and the athletes need to do to help the team improve! Once we figure this out we focus on those specific areas!
Can you (in summary) talk about some of the achievements and girls that have graduated from last year?
Our team focus each year is on the championship meets. So it was great that we won both the Tri City Championship and the Valley Championship. Also, we like to try to break into the top 10 at the D II Finals each year. We miss all of our seniors, but especially our two captains. Lauren Burgard and Chloe Stafford were both All State Swimmers on our 200 Medley Relay, their team leadership was invaluable to our team success. Chloe and Lauren were also Academic All State and Academic All Americans! Our Senior diver Lauren Haines was also Academic All State and All American.
If you can then say something about the achievements and outlook of this year’s team leaders?
Our three captains, we look for their team leadership skills to help the team become everything it is capable of becoming (Ella, Natalie & Claire). Emily is our All State senior diver and look to her to help bring along our other three young divers! All five of these girls (including Emmy) have great leadership qualities which our team looks for throughout the season. Ella, Emily and Emmy were All State Athletes last year and we look forward to all three having an outstanding November!
Outlook and Team Goals for 2022?
Team Goals are always winning the Tri City and Valley Championships and finishing in the top 10 at the DII Girls’s Swimming & Diving finals. The number one goal is to carry on the Dow High Girls Swimming and Diving culture. The coaches believe strongly in our team culture and know these experiences will help the girls throughout their lifetime!