They love to swim. They enjoy meeting swimmers from other schools as independent competitors. But someday (hopefully in the next couple of years) they will be swimming alongside schoolmates and teammates at Boothbay Region High School.

Four BRHS students: junior Ethan Walker; sophomore Nicole LaBrecque; and freshmen Samantha Carter and Brad Tibbetts are competing independently with the Wiscasset High School/Lincoln Academy swim team for the first time this season.

The team is being coached again by Don Strout, now in his 13th year.

“We like competing but we would also like to be using the YMCA's new pool as members of a BRHS team,” Carter said.

“It would be a lot easier. We wouldn't have to travel here for practices,” Walker said.

With the new Y pool and anticipations for a static coaching staff for the Y team, they said they hope to see enough interest develop so the school will consider re-establishing a swim team of their own, said Strout.

“We've tried to recruit more swimmers from Boothbay, but the interest isn't there yet,” Strout said.

Carter is competing in the 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley (IM). The other swimmers' events include: Walker – 100 breaststroke, 200 IM and 200 medley relay; Tibbetts – 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke; LaBrecque – 200 IM, 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle. Tibbetts has been swimming competitively the longest of the BRHS quartet – seven years – followed by Walker (six years), Carter (five years) and LaBrecque (four years).

At the team's first meet of the season at Wiscasset December 7, LaBrecque and Walker qualified for the state meet in February. LaBrecque qualified in the 200 IM and 100 butterfly and Walker in the 100 breaststroke.

“By swimming with Lincoln and Wiscasset, these four kids are demonstrating a commitment to the sport that they hope will be noticed,” Strout said. “Hopefully interest will grow.”