The fall of the Kings

Jennifer Coon, Copy Editor

January 4, 2016

On Friday, December 18, the swim and dive team traveled to their first away meet of the season to race the Robinson Secondary School Rams at South Run Recreation Center. However, the Cougars were not able to defeat Robinson, marking Oakton’s first loss of the season. The boys’ score was Oakton 139, Robinson 176; the girls’ score was Oakton 127, Robinson 188. There were many amazing swims by Oakton, but the Cougars will not able to hold on and stay with Robinson.

Despite a loss to one of Oakton’s biggest rivals, many swim/dive alumni came to the meet, primarily graduates from last year. Current and former teammates were able to bond with one another and exchange laughs, smiles, and hugs as they caught up with each other. Brenna DeBellas, one of last year’s captains and graduates of 2015, was one of the many alumni who joined the team at South Run. “Last night was like homecoming for me and the other alums, a true demonstration of how this team is like family. I didn’t realize how much I missed the energy, excitement, and tradition,” said DeBellas.

Oakton Swim/Dive’s boys’ and girls’ teams now have three wins and one loss for the season so far. The Cougars have been practicing hard all season, but on Friday, Robinson was slightly more prepared than Oakton. Practices will resume over winter break as the team prepares for their next meet. Oakton will next be swimming Patriot High School on January 8 at Oak Marr Recreation Center for senior night.

About the Contributor

Jennifer Coon, Copy Editor

As a veteran of the Oakton Outlook, Jennifer (right) has seen the paper and her skills evolve since the beginning of her time as a member of the staff. This year, Jennifer is a junior and copy editor of the paper for the second consecutive year. She is also one of the managers for the swim team and involved in many clubs with leadership positions, such as Oakton Swim Club. Some of her passions are writing and coaching for Special Olympics, and her goal for this year is to build a bridge between her interests and writing to give the Oakton community a glimpse into students at Oakton that are often left on the sidelines. By doing this, Jennifer hopes to achieve that the stigma around mental disabilities is reduced and students are more aware of this topic. In the future, Jennifer hopes to attend The Ohio State University as an English major with a minor in Professional Writing. Her favorite quote is the Special Olympics athlete oath: "Let me win. And if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."