Lambert Boys Swim and Dive had an incredible season, finishing sixth in Region 6A at the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) State Meet. The team also won first place in the county championship, taking back the trophy from South Forsyth High School.
Senior Kevin Ryu is extremely proud of all that the team has accomplished and all the meets they went to. As a five-year swimmer, Ryu thinks that swimming at Lambert has helped him see the sport in a new light and helped him create relationships with his team.
“Just going to meets and having fun and going to team dinners afterwards was really fun,” Ryu said. “It was just fun having everyone there.”
Looking back on this season, Ryu loved every experience with his team, including the overnight travel McCallie meet and the annual water polo match against Denmark High School. The team loves these events because it helps the team foster a bond beyond just competing together. Ryu also enjoyed these events, but more important than the meets themselves were the people he swam alongside.
“The fellowship and the fun we had together was something that stood out this season,” Ryu emphasized.
The team and their coaches work hard to help the team be able to build that camaraderie, even if they do not necessarily compete together as seen in other team sports.
“The coaches make a good effort of hosting team dinners, and a lot of the teammates make a good effort to hang out with each other,” Ryu noted. “We would always have pickleball nights and hang out together.”
These fond memories make leaving Lambert bittersweet for Ryu and other seniors on the team, but Ryu hopes that they are remembered as a symbol of fun and nostalgia by the team they are leaving behind.
“When [the team next year] realizes that the seniors aren’t there, they realize how much fun we had together this season,” Ryu mentioned. “I hope they try to implement that same teamwork and fellowship we had with the younger swimmers and with people who may not be as involved.”
Although Ryu is not planning on swimming at the collegiate level, he hopes that swimming continues to be a part of his life in the future, potentially as a club sport. He is grateful for what swimming has brought into his life – a space and method of stability and tranquility throughout high school.
A major challenge of being a student-athlete is time management, as they have to balance academic and athletic commitments. For Ryu, swimming has been a source of relaxation amidst a busy high school schedule.
“I kind of went to swim as a stress-reliever,” Ryu shared. “I didn’t really see swimming or practices as an obligation that I had to go to, rather like something I wanted to go to as a stress-reliever so that whenever I swam I wouldn’t really think about anything else outside of what I was doing in the water.”
As Ryu and the other seniors prepare to leave, they are incredibly thankful for all that the team has given them and for the bond that they have shared throughout the season. The team’s banquet is on March 2, 2025, and they hope to end the season off with fun, team spirit and remembrance of the amazing season they had.
