Sag: What have you learned from your sport that you can use in everyday life?
Pollack: Swimming is a sport where you really have to work hard to get better and see your hard work pay off when you race. You can definitely take the same kind of lessons into everyday life. You work hard, and you see your hard work pay off. No matter if it’s swimming, obviously you see it in your races, or whether it’s school or anything.
Sag: Can you tell me about your role as a captain and what that means to you?
Pollack: It definitely means a lot. I’ve swum on the team since my freshman year, so it means a lot this year having this big leadership role. I remember looking up to my captains my freshman year and sophomore year, and I know what it means to the other guys, leading the team like this. So, I’m excited to have this leadership role, and I hope I’ll be a good captain. I’m excited for the season.
Sag: How does club swimming compare to the high school swim team?
Pollack: I swam club in eigth and nineth grade, and that was a lot more time consuming than high school swimming. And I just burned out with club swimming after a couple of years, so I decided to quit that. I like high school swimming a lot more. I feel like it’s a lot more rewarding to swim for the school instead of for club. And the team’s been close. I love seeing the guys everyday. It’s a lot more of a fun experience overall. Meets are a lot more fun, I think. Everyone is really into it.
Sag: Can you tell me a little more about swimming being a part of who you are?
Pollack: I’ve considered myself a swimmer for a long time. Swimming gives me good exercise, and it’s a great sport. I love being challenged and swimming is a great way to be challenged physically and mentally. You can always get something more out of the sport, and I really love the sport for that. It’s definitely one of my passions, a big part of my life.
Sarah Gladstone can be contacted at [email protected].
