The Girls swim team here at OHS dominated their district match last Thursday beating Lakewood Ranch by a whopping 131 points. “I knew the girls were ready for the match but I was surprised by the margin of victory,” sixth year coach Geometry and Algebra two teacher Karen Smalley said. “They were just phenomenal.” Sophomore Amber Brickey placed first on diving with a score of 431 points and Savannah Sawyers took first place in the 100 meter breaststroke. “Amber Brickey looked really good diving, and Channing Austin, Bailey Taylor, and Lance Meadow all dropped a lot of time,” Smalley said as she recalled some of her MVPs from the match. The system on advancing players is much different in swimming than it is in other sports. “Each swimmer has to individually qualify for each district, regional, and state match,” Smalley said. “Then each 1st and 2nd place finisher automatically moves on, and then the rest of the advances are determined by their times and scores.” The teams headed by Coach Smalley have been very successful over her six years. “Learning the fundamentals and remembering the small stuff to me are the most important skills in swimming.” “If you do not do those then you limit your long term capability.” When deciding on which people will compete in each event Mrs. Smalley says it is all about looking at the big picture. “The mentality at looking at the big picture is how I select who swims or dives in what.” “By seeing which players can score the best at the event and how far they will go in the playoffs are the two main deciding factors.” This is Coach Smalley’s fourth straight district match and Smalley plans on being the coach for as long as she is able. “Having two kids makes coaching harder but, my husband and other family members help out which relieves some of the pressure.” The next match for the Warrior Swim team is this Friday in the regional swimming and diving match.