Swimming is a sport that has been very underappreciated at FHS, as the swimming team has advanced to several State championships in the past. However, one prominent swimmer who is hoping to place at States and be a part of FHS’ swimming history is Senior, Nina Woodside. Woodside is very excited about the start of her last year swimming for FHS.

Woodside has done quite a bit of training in the off-season for her club team. She practices six to seven times a week, each for two hours a day. Woodside also says that the practices are much more rigorous than FHS’ swim training. When Woodside is not swimming, she enjoys hanging out with friends, relaxing and experiencing new things. Goals that Woodside hopes to achieve this year include bonding with the team since it is her senior year, as well as placing at States again. Last year, Woodside placed 12th at States while swimming her favorite event, the 100-meter backstroke. Her personal best in this event was a time of 1 minute and 2 seconds, a very impressive time for a high school swimmer. This year Woodside is aiming for a top 8 finish at the State tournament.

The thought of swimming in college has occurred to Woodside but she states, “I won’t do swimming in college but if the college I end up going to has a club team I will definitely join.” Woodside’s favorite part of swimming is the bonding she gets to do with the team, and she states “I really enjoy how everyone knows each other so it creates a bond between the swimmers.”

There are many important traits to being a student-athlete, as Woodside states, “There are many benefits to swimming, for example, it creates responsibility as well as dedication.” Woodside encourages anyone to at least try it out even if they don’t plan on being competitive. It is a very fun sport that teaches you lessons that will last a lifetime. Woodside is an amazing swimmer with a lot of pride in her sport and Fauquier cannot wait to see what she will accomplish this season.