Swimming in Texas is challenging, and it is known to be one of the most competitive states in the country. Teams must work hard to be successful. As the Texas High Tigersharks season begins to ramp up, so do their opponents. The TigerSharks persevere against intimidating challengers on their path to this year’s State Championship meet. 

Through countless years of competition, the teams participating in the Tyler-Tri meet continue building a friendly rivalry. Every year swimmers are pinned up against each other to see who will go home the winner. Though the meet is competitive after years of swimming together the two teams became close.

¨I was very pleased with our teams performance over all after seeing major improvements in our underwaters and breakouts, after all races are won in the details¨ Susan Likins said ¨this meet indicates we are headed in the right direction and where our focus needs to be.¨

On Thursday, Nov. 7, the Tigersharks competed in the annual Tyler-Tri meet against two 6A teams, Tyler Legacy and JJ Pierce. Despite being outnumbered, the Tigersharks still placed first overall, continuing their flawless season. This swim meet also marks the TigerSharks’ only outdoor meet, which posed another set of challenges for some of our swimmers.

¨The fact it was an outdoor meet definitely did affect me¨ Senior Lincoln Wharton said ¨I swam the 100 backstroke for the first time in a long time, and the lack of a roof didn’t give me a reference on how fast I was going and if I was swimming straight or not.¨

The Tigersharks continue to practice hard into their mid-season meets, swimming up to 8000 yards daily. This allows them to improve and stand a chance against major 6A teams like the ones at the Tyler-Tri meet.

¨We are absolutely seeing improvements within our swimmers as we had several new best times at the Tyler meet¨ Assistant Coach Susan Likins said ¨All though we are improving there is still a lot of room for growth for every swimmer.¨

Since The Tigersharks must face two fast 6A teams, the Tyler-Tri meet prepares them for future competitions.

¨I believe the Tyler-Tri meet is one of the most beneficial meets for me as it really shows how fast I need to go to place high at the bigger meets of our season.¨ Junior David Carlton said ¨without getting the chance to face against other fast teams before meets like Frisco Texas I don´t believe I could perform as well at them.¨