Garnet Valley Girls Swim Team Defeats Ridley in Close Meet

Tuesday, January 12th, 2016, the Garnet Valley Swim & Dive Team had a meet against their rival school,Ridley. In past years, it was always an ultra-close score by the end of the meet, usually coming down to the last event or two. Sometimes Ridley won, sometimes the Jags did. When the GV swim team hopped onto the bus on the way to Ridley that afternoon, no one was sure who would win. Layers of nervousness and anticipation clouded the bus throughout the entire ride. Finally, the Jags arrived, and tension was visible as they stepped onto the pool deck. After each team warmed up, did their cheers, and had a quick pep talk with their coaches, the meet was ready to start. The first event, the girls 200 Medley relay, ended with Ridley in first. However, over the course of the meet, the team in the lead continued to switch after each event. If Garnet Valley won an event, they would be winning. If Ridley won an event, the same. Each team cheered louder than ever before, the coaches screaming at the top of their lungs as each swimmer dove in. Eventually, after hours of yelling, wins, and loses, it was time for the inevitable. The final event of the night, the 400 freestyle relay. There were four swimmers on each relay, each swimmer doing 100 yards. If Garnet Valley won, they would win the entire meet, and vice versa for Ridley. Everyone was biting their nails, and the swimmers behind the starting blocks had pressure piled high on their shoulders. Then, the event started. Garnet Valley was behind during the first two legs of the relay, but then the swimmer in third caught up and passed the Ridley team. All the anchoring (last) swimmer from Garnet Valley had to do was keep their small lead. She dove in, Ridley not far behind, and sprinted for her life. Cheers echoed through the pool and the halls, louder than before. The other swimmers and coaches could barely watch. Finally, they finished, and Garnet Valley had won. The swimmers shook hands and were polite, but there was still tension between them. Unfortunately, the GV boys had lost that meet, but they were still happy for the girl’s win. After the meet, the entire team went to Chick-fil-A to celebrate. It was a great night to remember.