As a junior in high school, Dylan Pomeroy swiftly slices through the water as he races down the pool. And, while he loves to be in the water now, his passion for swimming did not have a voluntary beginning at the age of six.

“My mom wanted me to [try swimming],” Dylan said. “I don’t know why. I was kind of forced into it; I didn’t find it fun at first.”

After taking lessons for a short period of time, Dylan quickly moved up in the ranks and started swimming competitively the following year. He started in the 200-meter race, which is equivalent to ten laps in the pool. Dylan explained that at first, it was difficult to complete this race, but it has gotten easier with time.

Dylan has stuck with swimming ever since, and his love for the sport has only grown. However, Dylan said that it can sometimes be difficult to interact with his teammates during practice.

“At practice,” Dylan said, “you don’t really talk to people that much because you’re underwater the whole time.”

At first, this roadblock made it difficult for Dylan to connect with his teammates. However, Dylan and his team were able to find other ways to grow closer.

Being close with a team is paramount to a successful season. One way that Dylan bonds with the swim team is through sharing their love of a timeless staple food: chicken wings.

“We go to [Buffalo Wild Wings] sometimes,” Dylan said. “It’s pretty fun. [During] team dinners, [we] like hanging out together, [and] we play games and stuff.”

Since Dylan is a junior now, this is his second-to-last season swimming for FHC. After next year, he will leave his swimming career in the past as he does not want to continue in college. Dylan explained that he is truly going to miss the sport. That not only includes the team outings at Buffalo Wild Wings but also the hours of practice—both in the morning and the evenings—and bonding with his fellow teammates in the water.

Since he only has one year left after this season, Dylan wants to make the most out of it. The best way for him to do that is by surrounding himself with the people he cares about most, even if that means attempting to get more of his friends to join him in the pool.

“I’ve tried to convince [my friends to join the team] before,” Dylan said, “but it’s kind of hard to. But somebody joined this year, [junior] Jayden [Doyle]. And [junior] Hayden [Bolter] might join next year.”

With Dylan’s experience and positive attitude, he hopes to step up his responsibilities and lead the swim team to a very successful season. He will save the best for last. Through the years, Dylan has deciphered the best way to get through a swim meet: simply sticking it out. No matter how tiring the race is, Dylan pushes through until the end, reaching for the satisfaction of finishing strong.

Like many sports, the lessons that people learn in practice can be applied to real-life situations. For Dylan, when he is ever experiencing something challenging in his life, he likes to think back on his toughest races and swim practices, and he knows he will be okay.

“Progress is perfection,” Dylan said. “I got that from a milk commercial, but it’s kind of true. You just have to try to be better every single day and not compare yourself to anybody else.”