The horn sounded, and the crowd’s loud cheering suddenly disappeared as Sarah Chambers dove into the water. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her competitors gaining. She kicked harder and faster as the upcoming wall approached. She had to win.

Being the only senior girl on varsity, the pressure is on for Sarah to lead the team to victory. Sarah has been swimming for 10 years and is now one of the two team captains for the schools varsity swim team.

“Team captain was definitely something I wanted to be,” Sarah said. “I wanted to be able to lead the team and get to know them better, and I was so excited to get the opportunity to do so.”

Sarah believes that being on the varsity swim team all four years of high school, and six years before that in club swimming and neighborhood teams will help her lead the team effectively.

“I have so many new ideas and traditions I wanted to start with the girls team while still holding on to some of the traditions we have before I got to Klein Collins,” Sarah said. “I have had so many experiences throughout my swim career and I think these experiences will help me lead the team.”

Sarah’s performance is not only noticed by family and friends, but also by her coach April Bryan.

“I think Sarah is very mature for her age and she is a well-rounded student,” Bryan said. “Sarah has the ability to relate to different areas of the team and lead them in a positive way.”

When asked how she felt about Sarah being team captain, sophomore varsity swimmer Brianna Zuckero responded with enthusiasm, believing in her ability to lead the team.

“Sarah’s a good team captain,” Brianna said. “She always makes sure that the girls are having fun and participating in everything.”

Sarah said she feels that being a leader means showing qualities such as compassion, kindness and consideration.

“I try to support everyone and give them advice when they need it,” she said. “I just try to be a good friend to them. I don’t just want to be the captain that is all serious.”

For Sarah, being on swim team gave her a better work ethic, better leadership skills, and the ability to be a better person overall.

“I think swimming will help me later on in life. It will help me with my leadership skills from being a captain, and I have learned what it takes to work hard to achieve my goals.”