Most people think of swimming as a leisure activity that they do for fun and relaxation, but for the Latrobe Boys Swimming Team, it’s hard work and fun.
They spend nineteen hours a week training. An average week of practice for these boys is Mondays they swim longer and quicker; Tuesdays are sprint days; Wednesdays they have two practices, one at 5:50 am and another after school; Thursdays are stroke days; Fridays are coach’s choice; and Saturdays are power days. Power days consist of using buckets filled with water, bricks, and bungees, all to make them stronger and faster.
“Being on a team makes me a better swimmer because everyone is getting faster and stronger and it pressures me to do the same,” said Charlie Thomson.
All this practice eventually makes perfect, especially for the relay team. Junior Cristopher Heese, senior Heinrich van der Westhuizen, junior Charlie Thompson, and senior Patrick Cratty have been a part of a winning team, ever since they qualified for WIPIALS during their first meet against Indiana. They swim the 200 freestyle swimming 50 each and the 400 freestyle swimming 100 each. This power team has fast times of 1:26.86 for the 200 freestyle and 3:18.70 for the 400 freestyle.
“The training is the same; the only thing that’s different is hand-offs where we switch places,” said junior Christopher Heese. Chris has been a leader on the team and a huge contributor since freshman year. He’s reaching high for his goals for the following years including swimming in college.
The amount of training that this team puts in is essential in order to succeed. Swimming is mostly an individual sport where just a few seconds can be the difference between first and last whether that means finishing a second later or even false starting a second too early.
However, the “numbers” haven’t been in the boy’s favor this season. They have had a challenging season because statistically, it’s harder for them to win since they have fewer swimmers. Next year will be challenging as well because 4 of the 10 swimmers will be graduating. Even though this season has been a test for the team, many of the swimmers were able to find success.
Junior, Charlie Thompson, was nominated for Letterman’s Club Athlete of the Week on January 6-11, 2025. He got nominated for having an eight-to-eight sweep against Derry Area High School and Kiski Area High School. Charlie earned all 1st place finishes and qualified for WIPIALs in all eight events. Against Derry, he won the 500 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 medley relay, and 400 freestyle relay. When the team faced Kiski, Charlie won 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 medley relay, and 200 freestyle relay.
Charlie has big goals with swimming for senior year. “My main goals are to get 20 seconds in the 50 free and 45 seconds in the 100 free,” said Thompson.
The Athlete of the Week for January 13-18 was 2025 senior Heinrich van der Westhuizen. He was nominated for going 6 for 6 first places against Penn Trafford and Connellsville. He won the 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 400 freestyle relay against Penn Trafford. Then at Connellsville, Heinrich took first place in 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and 200 medley relay.
The triumph the boy’s swimming team has experienced this year has been from early morning and intense training. But they couldn’t do it themselves. Their coach Grey Arrigonie has been an enormous factor in the team’s accomplishments this year. “He tells us what to do, how to get better, and the rest is on us,” said junior Christopher Heese.
