Sophomore Cienna Oien is a WCCA qualified swimmer for the Penn-Trafford High School Varsity Swim Team. With the kick-off of the new season, Oien shares some ins and outs of being a swimmer.
Q. How did you first get into swimming and what motivated you to join the school swim team?
A. I first got into swimming when I was really little. I have always loved to swim since I learned how. I first got into the sport because of this love and the biggest motivator was my friends and the team.
Q. How long have you been with the team?
A. I’ve been with the aqua club team since fourth grade and I also did middle school swimming.
Q. What strokes do you swim?
A. I swim breaststroke mainly. It is my favorite stroke and I have made a lot of progress with it throughout the years.
Q. What does a typical training week look like for you?
A. During high school season, a typical training week is six days. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are days where we just swim. Tuesdays and Saturdays we do “dryland” before we swim. Dryland is about an hour where we do half calisthenics and half weightlifting. A typical practice after school is about two and a half hours.
Q. How do you manage your time between schoolwork, practice and any other commitments you might have?A. Swimming is a demanding sport, and sometimes it can be hard to manage all my commitments. For me, as long as I have my homework done, all my other commitments can be worked around.
Q. What is your greatest challenge as a swimmer?
A. The greatest challenge for me as a swimmer is staying motivated through the tough spots, as it is with any sport. There are so many great things with swimming that make it just a bit easier to manage, like being close with my teammates.
Q. What are your goals to accomplish by the end of the season?
A. By the end of the season, I want to qualify for WPIALS in the 100 breaststroke. That is a very ambitious goal, and WPIAL cuts are hard -– but I think I can do it. More generally, I just want to have fun and make progress in everything this year.
Q. Have there been any swimmers or mentors who’ve inspired you along the way?
A. One swimmer who has really inspired me was a senior last year. Her name is Megan Caskey, and she is one of the strongest, most supportive people I have ever met.
Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received in your swimming journey?
A. The best piece of advice I have ever received is “when it gets hard, just keep going. Keep pushing. This -– or some version of this -– is something my dad says a lot and it has really helped me stay focused throughout my swimming career.
Q. What’s the most challenging aspect of being on the swim team, and how do you push through those tough moments?
A. The most challenging aspect, not what you might think. It’s not the practices or even swimming in general. Honestly, it’s being proud of how far you have come and accepting that not every day is going to be your best. you’re not going to win every meet and not every swim will be your fastest, but you have to keep pushing and that’s hard.
Sophia Dunnabeck, News Section Editor