Tridents having fun as they work to improve

By Ginna Young

With 14 athletes from Lake Holcombe, Ladysmith, Flambeau, Bruce and Bloomer, the Trident swim and dive team is a young squad, but thanks to returning lone senior Madilyn Kempen, they don’t lack on leadership.

“Both Coach (Riley) Langfoss and I have been very pleased with the girls’ drive to improve their skills, and willingness to work hard in practice,” said head coach Matt Bunton. “They are very ‘coachable’ and we are excited about this team’s potential.”

Aug. 17 vs. Merrill

Kicking off the season in Merrill, the girls swam in many different fun relays at the outdoor pool.

“It’s always a treat to swim at an outdoor pool in Merrill, and it gives our girls a chance to race with one another in some ‘goofy’ relays, like the 4x50-yard backstroke,” said Bunton.

Aug. 23 vs. Colby

A week later, the girls were at Colby, to compete in the Pentathlon invitational.

“The Colby meet gives us a great early season baseline, as each of the girls swims a 50-yard race in each of the four strokes (freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke) and then a 100-yard individual medley,” said Bunton

Aug. 29 vs. Black River Falls

In their first dual meet, the Tridents competed in Black River Falls, swimming away with their first victory.

“We had good swims…and many girls showed improvement over the course of the week,” said Bunton.

Aug. 31 vs. Rhinelander

Two nights later, the Tridents hosted a very strong Rhinelander team, that resulted in the Tridents’ first loss, starting their season off with a 1-1 record.

“At this point, we are struggling with consistency in our walls and starts,” said Bunton. “It’s easy to do it right at the start of a race, but when you’re winded, it gets harder to stay focused on the details. If we can get that figured out over the next few weeks, we will be in great shape.”