The mood of the undefeated 4-0 Columbia High School (CHS) girls varsity swim team was oddly not upbeat going into the December 18th meet against the Essex County champs from James Caldwell High School. The swimmers nervously checked the opposing team’s times prior to the meet, realizing they didn’t quite stack up. Many thought this could be their first lost of the season. Coach Maggie Singler saw it differently as she tweaked the line up.
As they hit the pool for the first few events, the team’s fears were quickly realized as they lost the first few. But this strong CHS girls team was undaunted and stuck with their coach’s strong game plan. They fought their way back, winning second and third place finishes accumulating points.
What seemed like a loss became a possible and improbable come back victory. Well, at least that’s what they thought. With cheering and team spirit, each swimmer made their contribution so much so that the come back win rested on the very last event: the 400 freestyle relay.
They needed to finish first and second to win. At the starting buzzer, it seemed like a strong possibility. The first two girls hit the first wall lap in 1-2 fashion of a 16 lap race and never looked back. The Natatorium was deafening as the girls brought home the decisive win improving their record to 5-0.
