Between making friends, balancing social life and coursework, and knowing when to ask for help, the first month of school can be a stressful time for any freshman. For some of these students, going away to college also means being on a collegiate team. However, this loss of familiarity — wearing new team colors, a new uniform, and a new logo — can be an even greater stress to add to the college transition.
Competing at the collegiate level isn’t something every student gets to do, and the ability to do so can add a level of confidence—and maybe even a slight apprehension. Samantha Horowitz ’22 and Chloe Cummings ’22 are two of 10 first year students to join Skidmore’s Swim and Dive team, and are ready to “dive” headfirst into the upcoming season that begins on Oct. 1.
Horowitz, a first year distance swimmer, hails from Minnesota. She says that the transition to college was “harder than she thought it would be,” but added that “swimming made it easier because everyone on the team is so nice and welcoming and it gave me something to look forward to. It really helped me build a community early on.”
Aside from swimming, Horowitz is thinking of majoring in History and Political Science.
As for Cummings, who swims distance free and fly, leaving Connecticut for Skidmore was shocking. She said that “the transition [to college] was really hard because it drops you right in; but, having a team gives you an instant family where you all have something in common.”
She hopes to have a good balance between what she called “the three S’s”: school, social life, and swim. Cummings is planning to double major in International Relations and Marine Biology.
Both first years said that out of all the school’s they looked at for swim, the welcoming, yet challenging, swim team at Skidmore made it stand out from the rest. Cummings recalls that the first time she drove onto campus she smiled and “knew that this was it.” When asked to describe in 3 words what they were feeling about the upcoming season, both students exclaimed that they were excited, nervous, and ready to go!
At the DIII level, only 2.9% of female student-athletes get to swim. When told this shocking statistic, Cummings expressed that “it makes me sad because I’ve been swimming my whole life and I couldn’t imagine my life without it.” To which Horowitz responded, “I think it’s cool though, to have that opportunity to do something unique.”
With the first game on the 26, both Cummings and Horowitz are set to take advantage of that opportunity. The team’s first meet will be that same day at home, and against St. Lawrence University. Make sure to grab a seat when it starts at 1 p.m. — you won’t want to miss the chance to support Skidmore’s swim and dive team.
Photo taken by Kyle Hudson ‘21
The original article was published with the wrong swim meet date. The change has been made.