The Huntley girls’ varsity team dives into another strong season. As the final whistle blew and echoed across the pool, the Girls Varsity Swim Team emerged from the waters, not just as winners, but as a family. For junior swimmer Carmen Mertz, this meet was not like others.
“I was so excited because it’s our last real meet before the conference and we won,” Mertz said.
Beyond the excitement of a win, lies hours of practice, mental battles, and hours of hard work. Mertz admits that while she felt good about her performance, swimming is a sport where confidence does not come easily and there’s always room for improvement.
The hardest part of the season for her has not been just physically, but also mentally.
“The struggle is thinking you’re not always good enough,” Mertz said. “There’s a lot of fast people on the team, but sometimes you’re going to be at the bottom. You just got to work yourself up.”
What makes this team stand out is not just the speed. It’s how they care and support each other. Whether it’s a teammate upset after a tough race or everyone laughing through a tough practice, the swimmers always have each other.
“We’re like a big family,” Mertz said. “If someone’s upset, someone’s always there. We put our arms around each other. We all cheer even when it’s hard.”
This closeness is not just built in the water. The night before meets, they gather around for a pasta party, and after big races, the bus takes them to Portillo’s.
At the center of it all is coach Jenna Gaudio who goes far beyond teaching.
“I don’t just want them to be good swimmers,” Gaudio said. “I want them to be good teammates. We win with grace, and we lose with grace.”
As the season builds towards conference and sectionals, it’s important to recognize mental health too.
“Before big meets like conference or sectionals, we do a lot of meditation and visualization,” Gaudio said. “We work on breathing and calming ourselves down. It helps them handle the pressure and really see themselves swimming well before they even get in the water.”
From the outside, swimming seems easy. In reality, it’s one of the hardest sports, physically and mentally. Swimming while barely breathing. Training weeks without always seeing faster times. Pushing through long practices.
The team celebrates and swimmers earn gold pins to put on their bags, to remind themselves of the hard work no one gets to see.
Even spectators who are watching can feel the emotions.
“They were amazing,” Shine Lehal said. “Watching how they supported each other, I was on the edge of my seat seeing the teams going against each other and when they won I felt so happy for them.”
Success does not only just come from time drops or finishes. It’s teammates who are there for them and a coach who believes in them. It’s a family built in water.
