Before day breaks, high school club swimmers peel away their covers and grab their swim bags, ready to plunge into the water. From early morning practices to weekend-long meets, many students dedicate much of their time to their club swim teams. Balancing their commitments, swimmers are constantly working to stay up to pace, both in lap lanes and in school.
Lilyanna Mallaire (’26) is a member of the Machine swim team. Each day, she wakes up to a 4:00 a.m. alarm and heads to OakMont RecCenter for an intense two-hour practice.
“Getting through practice can be pretty challenging sometimes, but I’ve made it easy for myself by taking away any other options,” Mallaire said “I am there, so I am going to swim.”
After toweling off, Mallaire races home by 6:45 a.m. for a quick turnaround. She showers off the smell of chlorine and grabs a default pair of sweats for the day. Mallaire arrives at school with damp hair and a caffeinated tea in hand. Legs sore from laps, she heads to class.
“I love that the first part of my day always starts off with friends and exercise,” Mallaire said. “It is a boost of endorphins as well as a great way to release any pent-up energy or stress that I might have.”
Settled into her morning-practice routine, Mallaire prefers to get her workout out of the way. Morning practices free up her schedule for an afternoon full of other commitments.
“I usually have something going on after school, whether that is babysitting, teaching piano or swim lessons, soccer practice or a club meeting,” Mallaire said. “I usually try to get in bed by 9:30 p.m., but sadly, I stretch that deadline closer to 10:50 p.m. sometimes.”
Morning practices free up the day, but for some swimmers, after-school practices are a better fit. Luke Etris (’27) is another Machine swimmer who, in his sophomore year, was a fellow morning swimmer with Mallaire. Anticipating the demands of his rigorous junior-year schedule, Etris recently made the switch back to afternoon practices.
“There are three afternoon practices per week, each lasting one hour after school,” Etris said. “Last year, though, I would have six to seven practices per week, lasting two hours each, before school or early on weekends.”
Staring down at the pool floor through their goggles, swimmers develop their own methods of entertainment and distraction. Mallaire lets her mind wander anywhere it wants. For her, swimming is a diversion from the stressors of schoolwork and college applications.
“10 percent of the time, I’m counting what lap I’m on,” Mallaire said. “20 percent of the time, I’m trying to figure out what lap I’m on because I lost count three flip turns ago. 20 percent of the time I’m singing songs stuck in my head and trying to match up my swimming to the beat, and 50 percent of the time I’m thinking, ‘oh my gosh, this hurts so freaking bad. Please let there only be one round.’”
For Etris, practice is a time to compile his thoughts. Still, he, too, swims along to the catchy tunes in his head.
“Sometimes I’ll sing music to myself,” Etris said. “I’ll think about school, friends, my schedule, anything really.”
The best way swimmers handle the constant pressure, however, is through friendships. Bonding over shared experiences, Mallaire and Etris find solidarity with their teammates.
“It’s pretty easy to find community when you’re practicing with the same people every day,” Etris said. “Last year, I moved up groups in my morning practice, and I was worried because I wouldn’t be swimming with my friends anymore, but I ended up making many new friends.”
Whether chatting in between sets or carpooling to practice, having somebody beside them motivates swimmers. Mallaire, for one, wakes up excited in the early mornings to pick up her good friend Kate on the way to OakMont. Between their social calendars, coursework, and their outstanding commitment to the sport, the demands on swimmers are high. However, keeping these swimmers racing is their passion for the sport.
“There I am,” Mallaire said. “It is just me, my friends, and a giant slightly-too-cold-at-first-but-you-get-used-to-it pool.”
