Two Rivers Swim and Dive Program

Logan Reisig

How long have you been in the Boys' Swim and Dive program, and when did you start swimming/diving?
I started swimming my sophomore year at Two Rivers, but I used to swim for the YMCA swim program when I was younger, from around elementary to middle school age. and I have always loved swimming and the community it builds between the swimmers and that's one of the reasons I joined the high school team.

What do you want people to know about the Two Rivers Boys' Swim and Dive program?
The most important thing to know is that the entire program will meet you where you are, and anyone can join! If you put in the effort, you can become a great swimmer. Another important aspect is that you are always improving, which is one of my favorite parts of swimming. It’s less about racing against others and more about beating your personal times, and the coaches support that during each practice and even at the meets themselves. You constantly receive new constructive feedback to help you shave off a little bit of time.

The Aquatic Center is gorgeous! This was your home away from home every winter season.
Yes!! I have a lot of experience in pools and aquatic centers because I'm a lifeguard, so I spend a lot of time in them, and especially the Two Rivers Aquatic Center, because I have amazing experiences both lifeguarding and spending all of my free time there during the swim season practicing and getting better. While it can feel really hard, one thing our coaches always say is that one of the most important things about swimming is mental toughness and the importance of pushing yourself. That has helped me throughout my life and in swimming especially.

Tell us about your coaches.
I feel like while every coach makes an impact, I really appreciate Coach Brian for making the introduction to swimming so easy. He really gives an amazing intro to swimming and how everything works, and is also really patient with new swimmers and works directly with them to help them become amazing.

Tell us about the training.
Honestly, all of the training can seem really intense, but the cool thing about swim is that we are always changing how we train with every day of the week. While one day is distance swimming (200-500+ yards at a time), other days are sprinting, where you are swimming really short distances but as fast as you can, which surprisingly can be just as hard as swimming on distance days. There are many other types of workout days too, like days where we are in the weight room and IM days, where we swim a bit of every stroke. It’s less of a per-practice impact, but more about the season as a whole because, with all of this activity, you begin to move from feeling sore to settling into a rhythm and beginning to feel really strong!

I am super excited to see all the new people swimming next year and I hope anyone who is thinking about joining the team tries it out!

Sada Gustafson

You broke the school record this season for diving—congratulations! Tell us more about that.
Yes! I did break the 11 dive record this past 2024 season. A few of our girls were diving at the Simley Invitational that day, diving invitationals take a few hours so diving happens earlier in the morning, and swimming is after. It was a really fun meet, as a team we hadn't gone to their invite before, at least as long as I've been on the team. After my 9th dive, my coach looked over at the scoreboard, saw my score, and started laughing to himself. To be quite honest I was completely oblivious to what he had noticed, but I was just having a great time. After my 10th dive I asked him what was so funny, and he just said he'd tell me after the meet. After my 11th and final dive I got out of the pool and one of my teammates came over and told me that I had just broken the record. I was shocked to say the least. It  was such a fun and amazing experience, especially because all of our swimmers had just made it inside and were sitting in the stands for that final dive. 

Tell us about your coaches and their impact on you.
I could probably fill a whole separate interview with just a shout out to all of our coaching staff. Katie, Brian, Lydia, and Celeste (the assistant coaches) put so much work and time into all of our swimmers, building up their strength, endurance, and confidence. Chris (head coach) has also just put countless hours of work into building up our program, and it shows with our consistent top 3 places in our conference as a team. Although I spend most of my time at the opposite side of the pool from the swim coaches, I feel that I have still been able to bond with each of them. My shout out coach though is going to have to be my diving coach for the past 3(+) years, Arron Carlson. Arron is one of if not the most hardworking people/person I know. He spends more time on the pool deck per week than a D1 diver. I genuinely cannot thank Arron enough for all of the time and energy he has put into me and the team as divers. He plans every practice workout, and has created a routine that works for every diver on the team to bring out their best. Not only has he coached me to be the diver I am today, but he has also helped me become the person I am today. We've spent countless hours through practices working on confidence, self advocacy, and recovery when things are tough. Even when working through an injury I had early in the season that took me out of the pool for a few weeks, Arron didn't miss a beat and had dryland workouts I could do that kept me off my foot, but kept me in shape. He has helped create a safe and healthy sport environment, with in my opinion a perfect balance of work and fun. He truly wants the best for all of his athletes, and is extremely skilled in bringing that best forward. A typical practice for a diver is slightly difficult to explain, because it really depends on the day and what you want to work on, but I'll try my best.

Advice for middle schoolers or even high schoolers considering joining?
Finally, my advice for any middle schoolers or high schoolers thinking about joining the team would be go for it! Try it out! The team has a great atmosphere and we love having new members each year. We have a lot of fun as a team, and it's always good to try something new. We don't do cuts, so try-outs are mostly for coaches to get an idea of your strengths as a swimmer or diver to make sure they know how to support you throughout the season to help you get better. We take people of all skill sets, never swam/dove before to swimming/diving in a club since you were 5 years old! Everyone is welcome and there is so much potential in trying something new.

Eden Hill

What do you want people to know about the Two Rivers Girls Swim and Dive program? 
I am so proud to have been a part of this incredibly inclusive program. If you fall, the whole team is ready to help you back up. At meets, we go and cheer at the end of the empty lanes of our opponents--we have been called the nicest team in the conference by many opponents and our whole team and staff are incredibly proud of that. Everyone on that team works so hard to improve both themselves and their peers, and if anyone is considering what they should do next fall, they should take a look at our program. The coaches are extremely attentive and supportive, and I walked out of practice with a smile every day. I learned a lot from this team: being there for others and what hard work means both in and out of the pool, and I am so grateful that I chose to join back in 7th grade.

Tell us about your coaches and their impact on you.
Oh goodness where do I start:

Lydia - A former teammate and incredibly bubbly personality who always made me smile even after a bad race.

Brian - He can be quiet at times, but he always has the most incredible advice, and if I ever have a question about my technique or racing strategy, I go to him. He is very knowledgeable and I am so grateful that I can always count on him. Brian shows up to nearly every practice and the time he has put into our team is so inspiring.

Celeste - I got the wonderful opportunity to have her as a coach for the first time this season. She is so supportive and always gives the kindest compliments and critiques at practice.

Katie - Now, I am just a little biased because she is my mom, but I could not be more overjoyed to have had her as a coach. She always makes our dryland sessions (we lift, but dryland is a little more cardio/conditioning-based) so fun and interactive and she puts in so much work to help this team succeed. She has shown me and others a strong work ethic, and her commitment level is something I am truly grateful for.

Arron - Now, he comes off as a little grumpy, but he’s a softy. Of all the coaches, he spends the most time in that pool. He coaches diving, so I haven’t had him as a coach, but he is extremely good at training our divers. He knows when to push them, and as a swimmer, I can see just how much trust our divers put in him.

Chris - He has a kind personality that makes his explanation of the most diabolical sets seem not so bad, and then it quickly becomes another set in the book of hardest practices ever. All that aside, he puts so much time and effort into making our lineups for meets and a lot of our sets. The rare days he took off were when he was sick, but for the rest of the season, he was at every practice. I have learned a lot from this sport, but Chris is the one who taught me what being a leader takes, and I am so happy to have had him as a coach over all these years.

As team captain how do you mentor the younger swimmers in the program especially the middle schoolers?
When the middle schoolers first join it is always fun to see the new faces. As a captain, I always make sure that I am talking to everyone on the team, as I know it is a lot bigger than in other sports. The middle schoolers are new to how swimming runs, and a lot of the time I will be helping them figure out when they’ll be swimming because the event order is new to them. Many times, I advise the middle schoolers on race strategies and what to do to prep. However, I think one of my biggest attributes to both the middle schoolers and the team as a whole is the hype. Every meet, I bring countless pairs of funky sunglasses and even a red cowgirl hat to wear throughout the meet, and let others wear them too. One of my main initiatives as a captain and just as a part of this team has been to bring others as much excitement and joy as this sport has brought to me, and this--along with very passionate cheering--is how I have done just that. I always try to have an upbeat attitude and get everyone to be as pumped as I am, and I would love to also give credit for this to my fellow captain this last season Anna Crain. She brought such enormous energy to the team that amped up the team’s excitement, and I couldn’t be more happy to have been able to swim with her and be alongside her as a captain.