Boys’ swim team remains upbeat despite obstacles

The boys’ swim team began the season with a rocky start with losses against Palo Alto High School, losing 108-62, and Gunn High School, falling 113-69. 

The team is in a rebuilding phase this year after losing key swimmers like alumnus Ian Burns and his brother, former student Aidan Burns, who transferred to Bellarmine. 

“After losing the Burns brothers, it has become that much tougher to keep up with the other teams in our league,” said senior Michael Lee, who swims breaststroke, individual medley and freestyle.

Although the team has had very fast swimmers, it has lacked the sheer quantity of high-point scorers that other teams like Monta Vista have. In the past, the team had relied on swimmers like the Burns brothers to place first and boost the team’s cumulative score. 

In the fastest league of public schools in the area, the De Anza League, many swimmers view Monta Vista as the team to beat this season. 

“The powerhouse of our league, hands down, is Monta Vista,” Lee said. “They have an exceptionally strong varsity boys' team.”

Right now, the team’s goal is to get as many swimmers to make CCS cuts as possible. In this aspect, the team is doing well, with Saratoga swimmers making 15 CCS cuts at the Palo Alto meet and 12 CCS cuts at the Gunn meet. 

Despite the obstacles the team faces, morale remains high. 

“The camaraderie we share as a team is one of my favorite aspects of the sport,” Lee said. “We may not win every meet we swim, but we can't let that discourage us from having fun and giving our all — both at practices and in competitions.

Freshman Bradley Newton, who swims freestyle, found the unified team atmosphere to be a welcome surprise. 

“Before becoming part of the team, I visualized [the team atmosphere] as being more separated, where each of the different classes would not really interact,” Newton said. “However, when I went to our first meet, I saw that all the grades interacted and being a team was an important part to our success. 

Ultimately, the team looks for victories that go beyond point scores and CCS qualifications. 

“Truthfully, we're going to be hard-pressed to have a winning season,” Lee said. “However, I know it sounds cliche, but as long as our swimmers give it their all and have a good time, this season will be a victory in my book.”

The Falcons will swim off against Los Gatos on April 12.