San Jose, CALIF. — Trina Vu, a sophomore at Silver Creek, discusses her plans for joining the swim team for a second season in the spring of 2023.

Vu mentions her first experience on the SC swim team as having many ups and downs, but overall a good introduction for the next four years of her highschool career. Although there were quite a few obstacles, the good experiences outweighed the bad. Vu was able to meet many new friends her age, and even some upperclassmen who helped her out on different occasions. She enjoys being on the swim team because although it is an individual sport, there are still always chances to feel like you are a part of a team. Vu looks forward to the new experiences that are to come next season in the Spring of 2023.

Last season, swim practices were held everyday afterschool, but the practice schedule may change this season due to the new schedule fluctuations. Because the Water Polo team practices at 6 a.m. before school, the swim practices may possibly be at the same time. Vu’s favorite thing to do when she is swimming on the Silver Creek swim team or her club team Valley Splash is freestyle and breaststroke because they are typically less intense compared to other styles of swimming. She especially enjoys sets with on-land exercises because it feels very rewarding once she is done with the set. 

For new students that plan on joining the swim team, Vu advises to not be discouraged if things don’t go as planned. She believes that overcoming obstacles can prepare you for so much in life and not just in sports. When you can learn to be persistent and adapt, great opportunities will uncover themselves. For example,  going to practice everyday instead of skipping even when you don’t want to. Vu says “Swimming has taught me a lot! It showed me the impact of patience, the importance of sportsmanship, and that you cannot get better without making mistakes first.”

Vu recalls all the struggles she has had to go through and overcome in swimming saying it is very easy for her to get in her own head when she doesn’t perform well. Seconds are an incredible factor in swimming, so performance is very important. However, the culture in Silver Creek’s swim team was very inviting and supportive so regardless of your performance there will always be people cheering you on. Vu likes to remind herself that as long as she tries hard she will eventually get to her goal.

When asked about how she balances school and sports, Vu says she tries her best to make a list of priorities that she must get done, especially if she knows she is in a time crunch. Some other after school activities that Vu enjoys doing besides swimming are playing piano and cooking. She and her friends enjoy volunteering at service events where they bake and cook foods such as spam musubi, kimchi fried rice and tiramisu. 

At Silver Creek, Vu is the club officer for both the Key and UNICEF clubs. Key Club is a service-oriented nonprofit that donates to multiple charities. Vu’ role in the Silver Creek’s branch of Key Club is to make newsletters and occasionally flyers. As for UNICEF, a club currently working to sponsor a child in need living in a third world country, Vu is a board member. She loves to be involved in school activities to the best of her ability as long as she is enjoying what she’s doing.

Regarding swimming, Vu currently doesn’t plan to continue her career at a collegiate or professional level, but she still thinks it would be great to become a swim instructor as an outside job. Nevertheless, swimming is still a good sport to get involved in as a safety precaution and an opportunity to meet new people!