This year, the Cortez Swimming Team features both varsity girls and boys. Among them is Daniel Rodriguez Estrella, the only senior on the team, who also serves as captain. The roster includes freshmen Christian Reyes, Dayday Khay, Micheal Torres Diaz, Sebastian Rey Moreno, Andrew Cisneros, and Nazz-Marie Corona. The sophomore swimmers are Adrian Martinez Velazquez, Fayaz Safa, and Andre Henderson. Lastly, the junior swimmers consist of Zakiullah Jalali, Hyrum Pulver (the other captain), Mohammed Azimi Sulaiman, Azul Soledad Gonzalez (the spirit leader), and Alise Nevarez Loya.
Swimming engages nearly all the muscles in the body, making it one of the most challenging sports. Interestingly, a significant portion of the population cannot swim. With the density of air 800 times less than that of water, swimming takes a lot more effort than walking or running.
Cortez ended the season at the district swim championship. Coach Jeanette Pogue was awarded Coach of the Year, while Alex Rodriguez secured 3rd place in the 50 Freestyle and 4th place in the Butterfly. Additionally, Hyrum Pulver earned a 3rd place finish in the Breaststroke. During the championship meet, the Cortez Medley Relay achieved 3rd place and qualified for the state swim meet! Team members Alex, Hyrum, Fayaz Safa, and Michael Torres Diaz participated in both the 200 Freestyle Relay and the 200 Medley Relay, Hyrum competed in the 200 Individual Medley (IM) and the 100 Breaststroke, and Alex competed in the 50 Freestyle and the 100 Butterfly.
Now to get an insight of how the head coaches reflect about swimming.
Any memorable moments, big awards, or accomplishments in swimming?
Coach Pogue – Our team has won three of our meets and competed fiercely, we have new swimmers that have gone from never swimming to competing in three events each meet, and many of our swimmers have learned and competed in new strokes and events pushing themselves mentally and physically to score points for the team. They have all accomplished so much it would be difficult to list each individual for everything they have done.
Any big achievements the team should be proud of?
Coach Pogue- Every win has been a great experience, but seeing Alex come in first multiple times for multiple events this year, Zaki competing in the 500 for the first time this year, Fayaz stepping up to try everything he possibly can, Andre and Sebastian learning new strokes and competing in them at our meets, Nazz-Marie learning backstroke and being fearless in her first year in swim, seeing everybody grow and try new things has been the greatest experience possible.
Overall, Our team has had a wonderful time growing together and building each other up as we grow and learn new strokes and practice for new events. It has been a great season of supporting each other and building each other up to try new things.
What is the sport of swimming to Coach Hooper?
Coach Hooper – Swimming is a lifetime skill that keeps a person fit both body and mind.
What do you guys practice?
Coach Hooper- We mostly focus on skills to become a swimmer. For example, the team learns new mechanics and do kick sets. Additionally, for fun, the students like to race each other. Also, If a student doesn’t know how to swim we teach them during the season.
Anything else you want to say?
Coach Hooper – Everyone should try to swim at least once. For kids who don’t know how to swim, It’s a perfect opportunity to learn. Plus, we are the coolest sports on the campus since it’s during summer.
