The BYU men’s and women’s swim teams will kick off the season with the annual Blue vs. White meet Friday evening in the Richards Building. Although it’s an inter-squad meet, the competition will still be hot among the swimmers.
“I’m most looking forward to the alumni coming back and watching them swim because they’re probably out of shape,” senior Ryan Krause jokingly said.
John Kendrick, an alumnus from Dallas, said he is just as excited as Krause to get back in the pool for this meet.
“I can’t wait to show these young people how it’s done,” Kendrick said. “This is all a part of my training program. I’ve never been so ready and fit for a meet in my life!”
Not only are the players eager to compete against each other and their alumni, but also to watch their fellow freshmen and transfer students’ performance.
“We want to start off the season right and we want the whole team to do well so we can see where we are and set a high standard early on,” senior Candice Smith said.
The Blue and White meet serves a different purpose for each athlete, but one goal trumps all the others.
“In a sense this meet is more competitive because we’re all trying to get noticed by the coaches so we can have a traveling spot,” Smith said.
Other players use the Blue and White meet as a reference point and to evaluate their own performance.
“We already know our competition so it kind of takes the edge off because you know where people are at,” Krause said. “I personally want to see where I’m at and the improvement I’ve made from last year’s Blue and White.”
Despite the competition, the players want the best for the team and are looking forward to a good time.
The players hope to see new faces in the crowd and promise the Blue and White meet is a good preview of the upcoming season.
“It’s going to be fun and it’s going to be fast,” Smith said.
