Goggles? Check. Swim cap? Check. Swimsuit? Check. With these three essential items in hand, our Lowell swimmers are ready to dominate the waters this season.

However, this domination will not be as easy as it has been in the past, considering the loss of the team’s previous coach, Art Octavio. Octavio passed away last December of natural causes. After coaching the team for over 50 years,  Octavio’s passion and his dedication to swimming continue to drive the team. “Although Art is gone, he will continue to live in our hearts and watch over us,” senior Erica Fung said.

A new era of swimming began as the new coach, Jonathan Riley, started this season off with intense practices. “We have been working on our strokes, techniques, sprints, and teamwork,” senior Anthony Li said. “The coach wants to train us hard and get us ready for the championships.”

Seniors Kevin Lee and Fung both agree that although practices are tough, the team will only gain from them. “Practice is unbelievably hard, but worth it when you compare the results that come from the work we put in,” senior swimmer Nicholas Kwan said.

Although consistency and hard work during practices are important, the passion andcommitment to swim is the team’s greatest asset. “I love swimming because it relieves my stress and has taught me a lot these past years including leadership skills, confidence, and perseverance, ” senior Cerise Tang said. Many of the swimmers have been swimming  competitively since they were 10 years old and some even began swimming at the age of three. In addition to swimming for the school team, many of the swimmers are members of club swim teams outside of school.

With this fierce passion for swimming, the Cardinals are ready to drown their two biggest challengers this season: St. Ignatius and De La Salle. “Both are extremely strong teams and hopefully, by swimming against them, we can see what we can work and improve on,” Lee said. “However, all of us realize that our biggest competitors are ourselves­ — we strive to break our own times and improve.”

Come watch the team rule the waters at 4 p.m. today at Martin Luther King Pool against Balboa, Galileo, Lincoln, Wallenberg, and Washington.