STORY AND PHOTOS By STEVE HARRISON
A look at the seniors on the Hornell Red Raiders swim team. Thanks to swim and diving head coach Mark Kelly for the information on each athlete.
LUKE SULLIVAN
Luke Sullivan competes in the 50 and 100 freestyle. Luke would like to thank Coach Kelly, his parents, officials and teammates over the years for their support and encouragement. Coach Kelly said, “Luke has been with the team for the past couple of years progressing greatly over the past two years and has hope that he will make sectionals this year and is a very quiet leader in the water for the Red Raiders.”
DANE THOMPSON
Dane Thompson is a 6 year varsity letterman for the Hornell Boys Swim team competing in the 50 and 100 freestyle, is looking forward to possibly attending Penn State University for Computer Science upon graduation. Dane said this about Coach Kelly: “It’s been a wild and crazy long six years, keep the team going, keep the energy and just have fun with the swim team!” Coach Kelly said,“Dane, is wild and crazy, and battled through adversity early on but continued to work hard and was able to maintain his focus and when that happened it was clearly shown in the water. If it wasn’t for a shoulder injury this year, he would definitely have a shot at breaking a record or two for the record board.”
GEORGE BAILEY
George Bailey competes in the 200 Individual medley 100 backstroke and 200 relay, he is a 5-year varsity swim team member for the Red Raiders, George would like to encourage the underclassman, “Enjoy the time you have in the pool and in high school, because before you know it the time is over.” Coach Kelly said, “George has been with the swim program for 6 years and one the past 4 years he has been injured and has limited his time in the water, he is a joy to have in the water and on the deck supporting his teammates.”
Summing up the season, Kelly said swimming is hard and he joked, “and the coach can be tough, too!” But he said, “In the end of your high school career, you could end up lettering five or six years in swimming which is unheard of in other team sports for Hornell Sports.”
The swim program is losing some key spots and would like to encourage others to join because in the end, the swim team is a lot of fun and very rewarding.
