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MS Top Stories ’11-’12:End of an era
Photo Credit: Chloe Mobley
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Written by Chloe Mobley, The Eagle Staff Writer
On January 25th our middle school swim team brought home yet another set of trophies when both the girls and the boys won first place in the championship meet. The team has trained for this meet for 2 months, battling through practices in the morning and afternoon. Many came to the meet nervous but ready to swim hard. The team claimed first and second place in almost every event, building a strong confidence early on in the meet. This year marks seventeen championships that they have won in a row.
Although every swimmer was happy with their accomplishments at the meet, some swimmers were sad that the season was ending so soon. For the 8th graders this would be their last year on the team that has won so many championships in a row. This Championship was also the last one for Mr. Pich and Ms. Borza, the teams’ coaches. They announced that they were going to retire after this season earlier this year.
“You just get the feeling that it’s time to retire,” said Mr. Picciafoco, when I asked about his decision.
It took several years for the team to work up to where it is now and Mr. Pich and Ms. Borza spent numerous years establishing their methods. Mr. Pich has now been the coach for twenty-five years. Ms. Borza started coaching with him ten years ago when they could not find another coach for the girl’s team. They have been coaching together ever since.
“My first year coaching, our team ended up scoring 3 points at the meet,” said Mr. Pich, “and that’s when I started morning practices, reading coaching books, and even going to coaching clinics.”
As the team grew stronger many traditions were formed. Most of them were created by the kids on the team, like the tradition of shaving heads. But there is one tradition that Mr. Pich claims as his own.
Each year, at the last practice before the championships the swimmers swim there last ten laps dedicated to pride, excellence, and tradition. Then the 8th graders, swim their very last lap one by one. This tradition became known as “Last Lap.” Mr. Pich got the idea from a movie called Rudy, where the seniors on a football team get one last tackle.
Mr. Pich also coached the cross-country team for several years, where he made his famous “Today is a Golden Opportunity” speeches to all of his runners. The speech talks about getting better each day and reaching new goals.
When explaining where the phrase came from, he said, “Someone told me that when you go to church it is your opportunity to reflect and learn more. It made me realize that you have to take the opportunity to test yourself.”
Both Mr. Pich and Ms. Borza have inspired generations of middle school athletes. They started off with a measly three points, but ended by winning 17 championships in a row. They will be missed by many, who only hope that their legacy can continue.
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