WHHS swimming has asserted competitive dominance since the 1980s. Now, more than ever, student athletes are performing at high levels both in and out of the water.
PJ Varatta, ‘26, and Quinn Schureck, ‘26, are two prime examples of the prowess WHHS maintains in the pool.
“I’ve been swimming for about 13 years, but year-round for the past nine,” Schureck said. “I got into swimming as most kids do, by joining my summer club team, and when my brother wanted to do club swimming, I wanted to do it too.”
Like Schureck, Varatta got his start very early.
“I’ve been swimming since I was eight years old,” Varatta said. “I first got into swimming because one of my good friends was going to a swim lesson.
I didn’t have anything to do [so I went]… and I enjoyed it. I [then] joined the team.”
Given the long hours and dedication swimming requires, it can be hard to find a balance between schoolwork and practice time.
“Every once in a while, I’ll just take a night off from swimming,” Varatta said. “[I try to] get all my schoolwork done, so that I can not miss practice again for, hopefully, a long time,” Varatta said.
Schureck relies on friends and tries to center her time around wherever she is, allowing her to excel in school and sport.
“Managing school and swim can be really hard,” Schureck said. “[When] recruiting [came along], I was often overwhelmed, but I’ve found that leaning on teammates and classmates really increases my motivation. I try my best to give my attention wherever I am to get the most out of school and swim.”
In terms of recruitment, this fall, Varatta and Schureck both committed to continuing their athletic careers beyond high school.
Varatta found a future home at Providence College, a member of the Big East conference. Schureck has committed to the University of Kentucky, a university that is consistently competitive within the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
“Before recruiting, I always dreamed of going to an SEC school and swimming, [so] when the opportunity at Kentucky presented itself, I couldn’t say no,” Schureck said. “The coaches and team were so inviting, and I could just imagine myself fitting in perfectly.”
While the road to get to recruitment is not an easy one to navigate, the end result is very rewarding.
“Overall, recruiting was a very special experience that had its highs and lows,” Schureck said. “It can be very stressful to make such a big decision as a junior in high school.”
Varatta looked past the stress of the recruitment process, choosing to focus more on the positive side.
“I didn’t find it too stressful because I viewed it as something fun and a privilege that I was even able to have the opportunity to go through this,” Varatta said.
While the two may have had differing experiences with the recruitment process, both agreed on the nature of the sport as a whole.
“Swimming is not an easy sport,” Varatta said. “There’s a lot of early mornings and late nights, and you’re tired and cold all the time, but [my teammates and friends] stuck with me throughout it all, and that inspires me because it makes me want to be a better person.”
Similar to Varatta, Schureck finds comfort and support in the people around her.
“My friends are also some of my biggest supporters,” Schureck said. “Teammates cheering behind my lane always gets me excited, and my school friends wanting to hear about my meets is always fun.”
Through it all, both students found comfort and security in the friendships they formed through their teams. A competitive drive got them into the sport, but the friendships made along the way kept them in swimming.
“My advice to anyone who wants to start swimming is to enjoy the hard moments and make great friendships with your teammates,” Schureck said. “This sport is too hard to go through alone and will be even harder if you don’t find the pockets of happiness.”