“I swim because I love the water; the serenity, the feeling of floating…. I like the few seconds underwater after pushing off the wall. It’s like a calm before the storm.” – Evelyn Bigini ’ 17

Evelyn Bigini, a devoted member of Ridge High School Swim Team, swims butterfly and distance freestyle. She started swimming when she was seven, and she has graciously agreed to share her love of the sport and her experience on the RHS Swim Team with The Devil’s Advocate.

Sarah John (Devil’s Advocate Reporter): How did you know swimming was the sport for you?

Evelyn Bigini: I never really played any other sports that much. I participated a lot in those after-school sports programs for kids, but that was mostly just about having fun. I even tried out for soccer once, but I didn’t even make it through half the tryout without going over, sitting on my mom’s lap, and saying “I never want to do this ever again in my entire life.” We then got the idea of trying out for the swim team from a swim lesson teacher of mine, and I loved to swim, so I guess that is how I got into swimming.

SJ: What is an aspect that is unique to swimming as a sport?

EB: I don’t think anyone except swimmers really understand swimming. It doesn’t make sense to people why we go back and forth in a pool, staring at the black line on the bottom, for hours on end. But what I really think is unique about swimming is its both individual and team aspects. When we race, unless swimming a relay, the swim is solely dependent on you. There is no one else in the water with you, helping you go faster. However, we practice as a team. We push each other to become better. We also have some meets where the team scores points, meaning that every time you get in the water, you try to place as high as you can in order to win points for the team.

SJ: Who is your hero or idol? And why do they inspire you?

EB: In terms of a professional swimmer, I really look up to Katie Ledecky. She is only a senior in high school and holds World Records in all of the women’s distance free events. She set her first World Record when she was only 16. Katie Ledecky really inspires me because she is not only fast, but also extremely determined. When she swims, she is so far ahead of the rest of the pack that she has to rely on internal motivation to keep going. With no one else to pace off of or to race against, she really has to have the mental strength to just keep going.

SJ: How would you describe the dynamics of the swim team?

EB: The people on Ridge Swimming are honestly some of the best people I have ever met. I have so much fun and get so much enjoyment out of spending time with these people. My teammates are so nice and are absolutely hilarious, and I can’t wait to spend another year with them next year.

SJ: How much time do you spending practicing a week?

EB: I spend about 16 hours a week at practice. That includes four, two hour practices Monday-Thursday afternoon; three one hour and twenty minute practices Tuesday, Thursday, Friday before school; and two hour practices on the weekends. It is definitely a lot.

SJ: When are you the most nervous during a tournament?

EB: I get the most nervous when I am about to go over to the blocks. It feels like I am just waiting for time to go past until I start to move up there before I swim. Once I get behind the blocks, it isn’t as bad since I take a deep breath and accept what I am about to do. However, right before that, when I know that I have to swim soon but don’t want to go up there too early (standing around makes your legs tired before you swim), I feel the most nervous.

SJ: Do you have any pre-tournament rituals you follow?

EB: I actually like to pack my bags a certain way before big meets. I put all of my extra stuff on the bottom (like extra caps, goggles, suits, etc.), then one towel, then warm clothes (sweatshirts, sweatpants), then another towel, and then finally my cap, goggles, practice suit (to warm up in), and my tech suit (to race in).

SJ: How do you balance playing a sport, and school work? Do you have to make any sacrifices?

EB: It is really challenging. I am not going to lie; I am exhausted all the time, both mentally and physically. I really try to take advantage of my study halls during school, so that helps a little bit. But no matter how hard it is to balance swimming and school, swimming has really taught me how to manage my time, and I think that I am a lot more productive and diligent about school work than I would be if I wasn’t swimming. One of the biggest sacrifices that I have to make is sleep. I know it sounds a little silly, but swimmers are chronically tired. Just imagine waking up at 4:18 AM three days a week in order to jump into a cold pool only 9 hours after leaving your last practice. Anyone would get tired from that.

SJ: What is your favorite part about playing on the school team?

EB: My favorite part about swimming for Ridge is the different feel that the team has compared to my club team. Sure, we love to win our meets, but we are up against the best teams in all of New Jersey in our dual meets, so there isn’t a whole lot of pressure. It is more team oriented than my club team, which I really enjoy. It is also nice leaving school early twice a week in order to swim in a meet, unless of course you have an important class 9th period.

SJ: Can you comment on the success of the swim team this season?

EB: Ridge did incredibly well this season. For the first time in years, the girls made it to second round of states and the boys made it to the third. That is an incredible accomplishment, especially since our bracket contains the fastest teams in the state (swimmers from our conference alone won about half of the events at the Meet of Champions (MOCs) a couple weekends ago). We set numerous team records, sent a large number of swimmers to MOCs, qualified in all three relays for both girls and boys at MOCs, and a swimmer on Ridge even won MOCs in the 500 free.

SJ: What has been one of your greatest disappointments as an athlete?

EB: Let me just say one thing: Swimming is really hard because the amount of effort you put in does not always correlate with your best times, meaning that some people do not seem to put in much effort at all and yet they swim incredibly fast. I know that sounds harsh, but it is the reality of swimming. So it is really disappointing to see people who you lap in practice beating you in a race, but that is the nature of swimming and you just have to know that you are doing your best.

SJ: What would you consider your biggest success to be during your time swimming?

EB: I think that my biggest success so far has been in my 200 fly, (8 laps of butterfly). However, the 200 fly is not a high school event, so my biggest success regarding high school swimming would be at THE MOCs last year in the 500 free. I got to stand on the podium, which was really cool. It was also amazing to qualify in the 400 free relay my freshman year. We set the Ridge record, which has since been broken, but it was a really fun and great experience.

SJ: Do you see yourself continuing to swim in the future?

EB: I definitely want to keep swimming in the future, as I am looking forward to swimming in college. But even beyond getting a degree, I would still love to swim. However, maybe I will do triathlons or something, so that it is not all swimming all the time.

SJ: What advice do you have for other athletes?

EB: My advice for other athletes is to stick with it even during struggles. Try to stay engaged, which is hard when you have to focus so much on school work and other activities. However, all athletes know that they are doing this for a purpose, so try to remind yourself of that whenever you feel stuck or want to quit.