As a part of the high school sports experience, a rookie starts on the team from an early age and naturally gains experience from time spent on the team. For many, it is the norm to join from a young age and work your way up, taking on mentorship roles as experience is gained. However, for senior Amalia Laguna, this is a different story. Laguna joined the Sparks Swim and Dive team this year, making it her first time with the team, despite having swam for 5 years before joining. As both a senior and a new member of the team, this has led to conflicts about what her role on the team is.

Even before joining the Sparks, swimming was an important part of Laguna’s life. However, her attention was focused more on club swimming: “I joined Sparks because I wanted to be able to continue swimming after my club team shut down…” she said.

However, Laguna’s club swimming career took a turn when her club was disbanded, leaving her teamless. Turning to Sparks as a result of the team shutdown, Laguna has found the adjustment to be seamless. “I mean I think it was more or less what I expected I was getting myself into,” she said.

Although transitions into new teams can be difficult, Laguna slowly eased into the team environment, owing parts of her experience to previous friendships. “I’m really good friends with some of the people on the team,” she said. “It’s been a really fun time; everyone on the team is super supportive and the environment is super friendly.”

In addition, Laguna also owes thanks to her swimming background when it comes to fitting in with the team: “I think that having experience swimming already made joining a new team a lot easier,” she said.

Within this transition to a new team setting, Laguna has found herself making a collection of fun memories without the fear of not being able to fit in with veteran Sparks members: “One of my favorite things has been cheering and singing on the bus,” Laguna said. “[Or] when someone leaves something at a meet, if someone else grabs it and it makes its way onto the bus, you have to sing to get it back, and it’s always really funny.”

As a newer member of the team, Laguna has not taken on much of a mentor role, despite the general culture of most sports teams. For her, learning the ropes and traditions of the team was a priority, and by the first meet, despite not placing: “…I had a good time racing and cheering,” Laguna said.

Although Laguna became a member of the team late in her swim career and has missed out on memorable moments throughout high school, her single year on the team has been one of the most unforgettable.