The idea of swimming competitively is to swim faster than the others. You are swimming next to several other people, all competing for the same places, at the same time. But, Anna Kowalewski has a different view on swim meets as I learned this past week while interviewing her. She said, “Pretend you’re going against yourself, single yourself out, nobody else, their placement, even if they are ahead of you, you can still get a personal best.”

Anna Kowalewski is the senior captain for our varsity swim team for Freehold High School. Her experience in sports extends farther than just swimming as she is on the school’s track team and competes in skiing. She mentioned that on Fridays, she goes to her grandparents house to spend the weekend there, practicing and getting ready for competitions. Anna also previously mentioned that she used to participate in travel soccer and ballet.

While interviewing Anna, I asked her who her major inspirations were to keep her going with all of the activities that she does. She named her parents to start, who have been her supporters since day one as they always remind her to try her hardest as they come to support her and her brothers at swim meets. She then went on to mention this year’s freshmen on the swim team. “Seeing the freshmen who have never done it, they’ve inspired me to try my best because they don’t really know that much about swimming.” Kowalewski also mentioned her coach, Coach Cooper and Coach Sebaca, who have pushed her over the years and more recently as a senior.

While she does participate in the 200 medley, 4×100 free relay, 4×200 freestyle, and 50 freestyle, Senior Captain Anna, is also a participant in the Healthcare Pathway here at Boro. When asked about college, she said she didn’t see herself swimming in college. However, she is looking to attend at the University of Scranton for her studies. 

At the end of our time together, she said that there are aspects of the swim team she is going to miss. Anna specifically named the freshmen class who have given her the extra push this year, her teammates as they have come to be her second family, and her coaches who have helped her grow as both a swimmer and a person. While she may be leaving Freehold High School at the end of this year, Anna Kowalewski has left her mark on the Boro Varsity Swim Team.