Although swimming is an individual sport, many say that behind every good swimmer is a team that makes them faster, stronger and better. This most definitely applies to the boys and girls swim teams at Cherry Hill High School East as they’ve won numerous state championships, completed undefeated seasons and have been awarded top state rankings and sectional titles. However, many of these victories come back to the strong sense of culture within these teams, not just their talent. 

Like many other sports at East, pasta parties, secret psycher and other team bonding activities have become vital pieces of the culture within East swim.

“A lot of the time, the night before a meet one of the swimmers will host a pasta party at their house and we would all get together. So we would eat together and then do some fun traditions to make the freshman feel like they’re part of a family,” said Alex Rounds (‘26). 

One of the traditions unique to boys swim at East is the bleaching of hair to get pumped for the state championships. For just one swimmer, this may be embarrassing, but knowing they are making a statement as a team symbolizes so much more than a hair color. Students all around school notice the dramatic change in their friends, and even though there doesn’t seem to be a true reason for it, it helps these swimmers stand out from the rest of the crowd at school in times when their good performances are most vital. 

”It’s like a community. The past two years we have made it to the state championships and then lost, but that has just given everyone a bigger drive to do better as a group,” said Ryan Moyer (‘26). 

No matter what swimmers may be going through on their individual journey to success, East swim has been known to be a great support system for all levels of swimmers. 

”We connect with each other at the start so we can continue to grow together and lift each other up when something goes wrong or someone has a bad race,” said Rounds. 

As individual swimmers, they have developed grit which has led them to success in recent years. There is an understanding among all swimmers at East that they must put their best effort forward, and they have done just that. 

”They are very motivated kids and their goal is to win sectionals, win states, and they’re very competitive so they just have that mindset,” said Coach Anita Bowser.

Not only are the current swimmers at East talented and well-rounded, club teams have also been credited for much of their success in their high school years. 

“There are [about] 13 swim clubs in Cherry Hill and this is a swimming town so we’ve always had a lot of talent. I’ve been coaching for 20 or so years and we’ve always had a strong group of boys and girls. Always in the top programs, and I think these swimmers are very dedicated kids that do well in school, practice before and after school, so they have their routine and structure,” said Bowser.

East swimmers have set the standard for efficient team collaboration, not just within their school, but statewide. Last year, the girls won state championships which was a huge milestone. On the other side, the boys often refer to themselves as “CHUBS,” which serves as an acronym for Cherry Hill Undefeated Boys Swim. They have taken much pride in this name, but without gloating. Both the boys’ and girls’ side of swim have taken their achievements and used it as ammunition to keep them pushing to do even better each following year.

”I feel like we have a lot of fun so we are very connected and the things we do together, even out of the pool, helps us connect with each other,” said Rounds.

It is clear that this sense of camaraderie in East Swim will follow and prepare all athletes who go on to compete at a higher level. 

As Aesop once said, “In union there is strength,” and East swimmers have truly taken this to heart, creating a support system within a sport where an overwhelming competitive nature once tore athletes down.