Swim Team Journeys to Chicago

Story by Beth Gardiner

At the end of September, the Platteville-Lancaster Girls’ Swim Team took their annual Chicago trip. The girls had the opportunity to compete with excellent swimmers and also have some fun. They enjoyed team bonding, city touring, and of course, some intense swimming.

The swimmers left very early in the morning on September 27th to depart in a coach bus. During three hour journey, they kept traditions of watching The Big Bang Theory and other movies, such as High School Musical. Once they arrived in Chicago they set out to tour the city.

In Willis Tower (Sears Tower) the girls loved going in the skydeck and also taking pictures to remember their trip. Millennium Park was a favorite for many of the swimmers. They hung out at the bean, spitting fountain, and exotic art monuments. The team, dressed in their bright orange swim team shirts, played an exciting game of statues with one of the team captains, Maddie Kieler (‘14), leading them. The best part was when other tourists joined in on the fun. Several swimmers said this was one of their highlights from the trip. The team dined at Giordano’s, Portillo’s, and Barnelli’s Pasta Bowl to get a full taste of Chicago.

To compete on Saturday, September 28th, the team swam at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois. Here the Platteville-Lancaster team had the opportunity to see and learn from the best of the best swimmers. Elissa Bahr (‘13) recapped the trip by saying, “We have all put in a ton of hard work this season. The Chicago trip was a great opportunity to have fun and bond with each other by having a good time.”