Returning after a 20 years hiatus , North Hollywood High School’s new swim team , thought to be impossible due to not enough resources, has taken everyone for a surprise with their fast growing achievements.
Despite having no official pool, no daily team practices, and no permanent swim coach, the team has already made a major impact in its very first season and now heading to state championships.
The swim team was created largely through the efforts of dedicated student swimmers who sought out to prove to the athletic department, that NHHS students had enough willpower and talent to make this dream become a reality.
The team still does not have an official swim coach but instead operates under the leadership of HGM ( Highly Gifted Magnet ) junior Evan Perlovich, who stepped up as the team’s captain alongside the support of Mr. Harris, who has helped organize communication, transportation, paperwork, and official responsibilities for meets.
While Mr. Harris does not coach the technical side of swimming itself, several of the swimmers explained that his support played a major role in making the program possible.
Freshman Teya Brandes stated that “ everyone went into it [ the team]with the understanding that it would obviously be different then the average team but we also went and had fun.” In many ways, swimmers depict the team as a collaborative effort among students and staff who simply wanted to see the program succeed.
Creating a swim team at a school without a swimming pool was far from easy and being one of the main challenges. According to Perlovich, the students where the one to take first initiative. “ We had to first convince the athletic department that North Hollywood had enough interest and talent to support a competitive swim program.”Luckily, the students prevailed in starting the return of the swim team.
Before the official team was officially approved, several swimmers competed unattached (individually) during the previous season to demonstrate the school’s potential and the prioritized pick when trying out. Membership mainly depends on recruiting swimmers already training outside of school or athletes with prior experience in well established swimming clubs than people who are just starting out.
With a limited time to compete independently, the group still placed high in Los Angeles City Section competition, helping prove that North Hollywood could successfully sustain a team.
Aside from lacking a full time coach and home pool, the team also expressed disappointment of not having daily practices during their season like other athletic teams in the school. Brandes adds“ to be completely honest, without daily practices together I feel the team didn’t have the opportunity to become as close.” Pointing out because of this they failed to form a family- like bond amongst each other and have that unity other teams get to share.
Despite it, the team looked past this obstacle and continuously worked towards putting out their best efforts . HGM Junior Gavin Koo expressed that “we don’t really have any rituals other than a typical team chant, but I think that’s what makes our team special. To me it represents the inexperience and novelty that we’re working through right now.” That early success helped build momentum around the idea.
As a result, the team culture developed differently from many other athletic programs on campus. Rather than being built around daily practices, swimmers said the team became centered around encouragement, support, and representing the school at competitions.
Several athletes explained since everyone came from different swimming backgrounds, the environment felt less competitive internally and more focused on unity and school spirit.
Even without the structure most athletic programs rely on, the team quickly found success in competition. In a recent meet against East Valley, both the boys and girls teams earned victories, further solidifying the program’s impressive first season. At league championships, the boys team scored 395 points while the girls team earned 254 points, outperforming multiple well-established schools despite the disadvantages .
For many students, the team’s accomplishments became even more meaningful considering how little time the team mates actually spent together outside of meets.
The season helped create new friendships between students who otherwise may have never met. Because swimmers came from different grade levels, academies, and club teams, competitions became opportunities for students to connect through a shared passion for the sport.
What started as a small experimental program quickly turned into a close-knit community.
Although the future of the program remains uncertain, many swimmers remain optimistic about what comes next. Students hope the team will continue expanding over the next few years—potentially gaining an official coach, more school support, and possibly even access to consistent training facilities.
For now, many athletes believe the team’s success already proves something important: even without ideal conditions, determination and teamwork can still create something meaningful.
What began as an unlikely idea has now become one of North Hollywood High School’s newest sources of pride. In only its first season, the swim team has already exceeded expectations and shown that dedication can outweigh limitations.
