Courtesy of L. Arterbury
The swim team found inspiration in fundraising this year because they did not want to travel in a big, ugly, yellow school bus. Traveling as far as Corpus Christi, the swim team is really grateful for the luxury of traveling in charter buses. To prevent the possibility of a yellow bus, Westwood swim families asked friends and families to support someone in swimming either a mile in a bathing suit or half a mile in a costume.
The costumes brought smiles to everyone’s faces at 6:55 a.m. when the swimmers reported to El Salido for the T2 Distance Challenge Fundraiser. Costumes varied from Wonder Woman, to a creepy clown.
“My favorite costume was Mrs. Incredible, from The Incredibles,” Abigail King ‘18 said. “The girl that dressed up put a lot of effort into her costume and she truly resembled the character she was portraying. I was also surprised she swam in the costume because it would’ve been so annoying if I had to swim in it.”
The athletes that decided to dress up had to deal with the drag of their costume while they raced to have a winning time at the half mile (30 laps). The uncreative competitors that dressed up as swimmers had to swim a mile and race for the fastest time.
Another incentive for fundraising is the prizes offered for various different awards. Principal Laurelyn Arterbury offered her reserved parking spot on school campus as a reward for the person who raised the most money. Coaching for the day, skipping a set, and class breakfast are just some more examples of prizes offered to the team.
Courtesy of L. Arterbury
“I am so excited to go to breakfast with my class,” Maggie Chan ‘16 said, “because I love getting to cherish this last year with them. Over our swim careers we have all grown so close, and winning another breakfast with them will be a wonderful opportunity to make more memories.”
Overall the swim team as a whole raised $7,100 that will go to the booster club and provide the team with hotel rooms and buses for away meets. The senior class took the win raising an average of $220 per person, which is an incredible amount of money in such a short amount of time.
