Swim team moves to Jackson Park Lagoon

The pool at Mt. Carmel has been broken since last year, so the school’s swim team has been looking for a place to practice. Several options were considered such as Saint Rita High School, the nearby YMCA, and Washington Park’s fieldhouse. In the end, Coach Matthew McGuire decided that the best for the team was Jackson Park’s West Lagoon. 

“The short walking distance and flat water made it the perfect choice for the Caravan swim team,” said McGuire. 

The team has moved all of their gear, floaties, and diving boards to the lagoon. They are excited to start the new swim team, and they think the new environment will help them train with a leg above the competition. 

“This new change will help us get in shape, mentally, and physically,” said swimmer Quincy Poole.

With the lagoon’s PH level of 4, some say that this new environment isn’t safe for swimmers. The ideal pool PH is 7.5. Coach McGuire doesn’t see this as much of a problem, though. He says the less than ideal conditions will help swimmers get through the waters of gross pools. 

“It can’t be worse than Rice’s pool,” he says. “When we swam against them, 8 out of 10 of our swimmers came home with a skin condition only previously found in the Amazon.”

Coaches went to the lagoon to get the water “swimmer ready.” They pulled shopping carts, diapers, and the front end of a Toyota Camry out of the water for unobstructed lanes. Seventeen leeches were pulled off of players on Monday’s practice. This doesn’t seem to be an issue to players or coaches, as the team fundraises off of the leeches, selling them to the Caravan bass fishing team to be used as bait. 

Using the lagoon is not without its drawbacks. The first scheduling conflict occurred on Wednesday when the bass fishing team was also using it. Conor Dukes, bass fishing team captain, complained that the swimmers were taking his “secret spot.” Dukes didn’t let this stop him though. He fished in his usual spot while Coach McGure was leading laps. Dukes hooked Andrew Stanislawski in his upper thigh. Athletic Trainer Julius Henry was called to the scene.

“It hurt,” said AJ, “but as Mr. McGuire says, I had to embrace the pain.”

During winter, the team will take kayaks out and break the ice before practice. The five new kayaks are metal plated to help ice-breaking. Coaches say that rowing through ice will help swimmers warm up their arms before practice. As for staying warm between laps, swimmers will wait out of the water by a fire. The team has converted the front end of the Camry they pulled out of the water as a fire pit. 

As for matches, opposing teams will be required to swim in the lagoon.  Coach McGuire sees this as a competitive advantage.

“We’ve already been contacted by two opponents who have taken a forfeit rather than enter that water.”

So it seems that the relocation is paying off already for the swimming Caravan.