by Brian Twomey

Sophomore Gillian Campbell is only one of two athletes on her swim team from Hudson. The swim team is a co-op team with Hudson and Nashoba.

How do you feel your team has bonded and worked together, since you all come from different schools?

“I think the team bonds really easily. Everyone is very nice, and the school separation does not play a role. We all hang out for two hours every night, and there is no grade division. Everyone is friends with everyone. Swimming kinda breaks down social barriers in a way.”

How do you feel about being one of the two Hudson girls on the team?

“I think it’s kind of sad that there is such a small Hudson portion on the team. I think swimming doesn’t get as much press as other sports. This is the third interview I’ve done about swimming, and no one talks about it like football. The underrepresentation from our school also saddens me because it reminds me that swimming is somewhat of a dying sport.”

When did you start swimming competitively?

“When I was little I joined the recreational team Wayside Waves, and that helped me get the start I needed. Nashoba was able to push me and help me get to where I am today as a swimmer.”

What events do you swim?

“I swim the 200 IM, the 200 freestyle, and the 500 freestyle as my individual races. But I’m also in the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay, so I focus mainly on freestyle.”

What is the team’s overall record?

“The overall record is 1-4, but there are a lot of factors that play into why our team struggles.”

How has the team improved over the season?

“The team has improved exponentially since day one. Newcomers to the team have picked up. They’ve come a long way. Also people are picking up on technique and what makes your stroke efficient, which helps you win races. Also a large majority of our team is making it to leagues, and I think we have more going this year than last year. So that’s a plus.”

What are your personal/team goals for the last half of the season?

“I think this far in the season the team goal is to have everyone go to leagues because that would show how far we have come as a whole. My personal goals are getting to sectional and maybe states, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

How are you going to reach these goals?

“For the team to reach the goal of leagues, then we are going to have to train even harder and spend time with everyone, which is more difficult than it sounds. For personal goals, right now I am in a place where I am breaking my times, and I am five seconds away from breaking my previous 500 time. I broke my 200 time, which was exciting. But honestly the only thing that can get me to where I want to be is my motivation. Like any other sport you need to put in a lot to get results. That’s what I’m doing, so I hope for the best, which goes for all the other swimmers on the team including the other Hudson kids.”