While most students at Westside were relaxing during winter break and enjoying the holidays the Warrior swim team was grindling as they had to go through “hell week” also known as “animal week”. This week consisted of two practices a day. One practice was three hours the other was two hours. Jackson Hanus is a senior swimmer for the boys team and he explained how the team handles hell week.

“During hell week, the team’s morale goes down because two practices a day can get pretty long and tiring. We tend to get tired and grumpy. But we also feel rewarded after hell week because we are stronger and more in shape for the season,” Hanus said.

On the girls side Annika Wilmers said she agrees that hell week is a lot of work but rewarding.

“Our hell week is really challenging physically, mentally and emotionally but I think we all increased our capacity, our endurance and a lot of other physiological aspects that are really going to help us at state. And now, going into our practices leading into our bigger meets, we know that our practices can’t get any harder than what we have already done so if we got through that we can get through anything else that is put in our way,” Wilmers said.

Not only did the team improve, but they also strengthened their team bond and got closer.

“Like every year I think we get closer every time we go through hell week again just because you’ve really got to rely on your teammates to help you push through practice when you don’t think you have anything left and during practice we are always trying to motivate each other and after practice some of us will do things together. I know the girls team has a holiday party at the end of the year,” Wilmers said.