The girls’ 200 medley relay team has found the perfect recipe for success.

    Before each race, sophomores Jaclyn Shetterly, Sam Kuipers, Sarah Hunt, and Emily Brown perform the "Sailor Rumble."

    Then, they add a smack down.

    Next, the girls scream a personal chant, and add the final ingredient, which is a prayer.

    They bring it all together with a team pep talk, during which a goal is set.

    The ritual must be working because this relay team is on its way to the state meet for the second time.

    "We do this because we want to get pumped up and ready to swim," Kuipers said. "If we don’t, then we’re not as energetic and don’t do as well,"

    Not only have the four girls qualified for state in the medley relay, but they each have qualified in at least one other event, including the 200 free relay that consists of Shetterly, Hunt, Brown, and senior Morgan Thompson.

    Individual qualifiers include Shetterly in the 200 instant medley, 100 backstroke, and 100 butterfly; Kuipers in the 100 breaststroke; and Hunt in the 50 freestyle.

    Each of these girls have their own methods to get themselves pumped up for their events; most of them including stretching and setting a goal to beat.

    Some girls get creative, like Shetterly, who likes to drum the beat to "Grace Kelly" by MIKA. 

    "I drum this before my backstroke races because it sets a good tempo for my arm speed," Shetterly said.

    The qualifying girls will compete at the state swim meet in late November and will have to practice for about two weeks longer than the regular season, which ends Nov. 7 at the OK Black/White Conference meet.

    The final two meets of the year are next Tuesday at East Grand Rapids and Oct. 27 at Holland. Both meets start at 6:30 p.m.

    It’s that willingness to practice beyond the normal season that coach Margie Collison attributes to the girls’ success.

    "This year, the girls are faster, stronger, and have a better work ethic," she said.

    Last year, at the state competition, the medley relay placed 30th, and the freestyle relay finished 32nd. Shetterly placed 61st in the 100 freestyle, and Kuipers was 32nd in the 100