Park City High School’s girls swim team starts every swim meet with a decade-long tradition: gathering in a circle to chant, “Park City girls are buff!” It's a way to lighten the mood and get in the right mindset before competing.
The ritual rang out again before the team hit the pool at the 4A championship meet Feb. 13 and 14. But it was strong, consistent swimming that helped Park City bring home the championship, with a 150-point margin over second place.
The back-to-back titles were preceded by a seven-year drought.
Sophomore Ella Limback was with the team for both state wins.
“Standing on top of the podium again just felt super cool and exciting,” she said. “It was just, it was just an unexplainable moment.”
The girls also took home seven top-three individual finishes and broke two division records in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. Limback and freshman Megan Dillon each earned two of the top-three finishes and were on both of the relay teams.
Dillon said the team is so successful because the girls swim in a variety of events.
“We have a lot of backstrokers, breaststrokers, IMers [Individual Medley swimmers], and that kind of stuff. So it all like, evens out,” she said. “We don't have too many people in one field and so our points are evened out across the board.”
Limback said both the boys and girls teams train hard throughout the season, including regularly doing Norwegian 4x4s. The high-intensity interval training regimen involves four 100-meter dashes with a 300-meter “rest” in between of light swimming.
While the practices are tough, Limback said Coach Gadi Shamah [GOD-ee SHAW-muh] has the team’s best interest in mind.
“As much as we hate them, they work,” she said. “He's definitely a big help for us to, like, get our times and he, if you need to, he'll sit you down and really focus on what you need to do.”
Park City boys' hard work also showed during the ' 4A state championship. They missed first place by four points and just three one-hundredths of a second during the final race.
The team spirit is the final piece of Park City’s success. Dillon and Limback said the team, boys and girls, always cheer each other on during races.
In a statement, Shamah praised the team's camaraderie.
“The energy on deck, the support for one another, the cheering, and the constant encouragement — that is our success,” he said. “This weekend was a true reflection of the culture we’re building: one of camaraderie, teamwork, and pride in representing PCHS.”
