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Webb Canyon Chronicle
The Student News Site of The Webb Schools

Webb Canyon Chronicle
The Student News Site of The Webb Schools

Webb Canyon Chronicle
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Webb swim & dive makes a splash at senior meet

Sydney Wuu and Emma Lin
March 31, 2019
Sydney Wuu (’20)
The eight graduating senior swimmers are Maria Shevchuk (’19), co-captain Rylie Brick (’19), co-captain Allison Lilley (’19), Lindsay Jung (’19), Nathan Paik (’19), Kevin Kang (’19), co-captain Robert Torrance (’19), and Ben Chai (’19).

On Thursday, March 28th, Webb swim & dive emerged victorious against Calvary Chapel Downey at their final home league meet of the season.

From 3:15 to 5:30 p.m., deafening cheers of “Push hard, dig deep, Webb swim, Webb win!” echoed on the pool deck as swimmers and divers supported their teammates from the other side of the pool.

Each of the four squads dominated the competition by a tremendous margin. The final point totals for the senior meet were: varsity girls (Webb 141, CCD 15), varsity boys (Webb 112, CCD 22), JV girls (Webb 107, CCD 12), JV boys (Webb 53, CCD 19).

This year, Webb will graduate a total of eight seniors, three of whom currently lead the team as co-captains. The celebrations for the senior game included pool deck streamers and decorations, handmade posters, and a post-meet presentation of the gifts to honor the graduating class of 2019 and their contributions to the aquatics program. The spirit for the senior meet was to wear practice suits over appropriate academic dress.

After the events, the team moms prepared a short ceremony complete with Hawaiian leis, snacks, pizza, and a short heartfelt speech about each of the seniors from the coaches. Traditionally, Webb has celebrated the seniors at Prep League Finals, but since switching into the San Joaquin League this year, the team has begun to form new traditions.

Coach Rosenfeld’s strategy for the last home meet of the season was to stack the Varsity A Team relays to increase the chances of achieving strong CIF consideration or auto cuts.

He said, “The spirit that came with the senior meet really made this one different. The fact that we hit best times in a third of our races, which at this point in the season shouldn’t be happening, is a testament to the spirit and excitement that our team has. Not just for the seniors, but also for each other.”

Co-captain Laura Haushalter (‘21) spearheaded a poster-making session for the non-seniors on the team on Monday, March 25th.

Laura said, “It’s going to be really sad without the seniors because they’ve always been in our lanes, encouraging us, and pushing us to swim faster. Also, they do a great job of helping out the younger swimmers during meets, so there’s gonna be a hole without them next year.”

Lindsay Jung (‘19), a four-year varsity VWS swimmer and record-breaker, said, “For me, swim has been a wild ride. I’m thankful for my amazing coaches who continue to push me to be my best. I wouldn’t have gotten my season best times at my senior meet without their constant cheering, milkshake deals, or continuous support.”

Nathan Paik (‘19), a four-year varsity WSC swimmer, said, “As a senior, time has flown by these past years. I’m gonna miss the pool and competing with my friends. Season was great and I’m looking forward to working hard for League Finals and CIFs!”

The class of 2019 will definitely leave their legacy on the evolving swim program. This historic season looks like it is going to be one for the record books. In regular league meets, athletes have already broken the VWS 200 medley relay and the WSC 200 individual medley school records.

As of March 28th, VWS swim & dive is undefeated both in league and non-league meets. After swimmers and divers return from spring break, the real competition will heat up with league prelims, finals, and CIF all on the horizons.

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Emma Lin ('20)
(From left to right) Nichola Monroe ('22), Josephine Burdekin ('22), and Emma Holliday ('22) wait for their dive meet to begin.
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About the Contributors
Sydney Wuu
Sydney Wuu, Editor-in-Chief
Imagine being Editor-in-Chief for the Webb Canyon Chronicle, VWS all-school president, co-captain of the varsity tennis and water polo teams, and a big-time koala lover! Sydney Wuu (‘20), a senior boarding student from Pasadena, California, is all of these descriptions at once. You can catch Sydney listening to Khalid, watching Disney movies, or hanging out with her friends eating green tea mochi. Born on July 1st, Sydney portrays many of the characteristics of a Cancer: creative, loyal, and adventurous. Sydney employs these skills in her favorite humanities classes such as Advanced Studies Human Migration or Advanced Studies Cold War Era. Her goal this year is to broaden the horizons of the WCC with different forms of media, such as YouTube, Spotify playlists, and infographics.
Emma Lin
Emma Lin, Editor of Culture & Lifestyle
Emma Lin (‘20) will be entering her senior year at Webb. Embracing her new role as the Editor of Culture & Lifestyle for the Webb Canyon Chronicle, Emma hopes to approach more articles with an angle and drive her topics towards a compelling focus. Having lived in both California and Hong Kong growing up, Emma’s experience of contrasting cultures and lifestyles prove that she is indeed the right person for the job. Outside of the classroom, Emma is a devoted environmentalist and founder of the Environmental Club, which makes it no surprise that her favorite class is AP Environmental Science. In her free time, Emma enjoys dancing, watching movies and spending time with friends around Southern California. Apart from her leadership role at the Webb Canyon Chronicle, Emma is also the Vice President of her class and hopes to bring her class together and make the best out of their final year at Webb.