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12/19/2023 11:03 AMWhile Olivia Macaluso is a master tactician when it comes to competitive swimming, she is equally focused on cooking up currents of support from her swimming mates to help motor her propeller to make major waves.
At the Class S State Championship last month, Olivia swam in the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke individually, along with the 200 medley and 400 free relay races for the Cougars. She additionally won tangible recognition from her team in the form of the Most Valuable Swimmer award.
“Swimming sort of came easy to me and I also loved being in the water so much. I enjoy that feeling of accomplishment so much after an event, and the team aspect of the support of my teammates I really love,” says Olivia. “My coaches have been a big part of my success; they really pushed me to be the best swimmer I can be. They will always help me with what I need to work on. I also have to acknowledge the support of my teammates and family, which helps because the sport can be mentally and physically challenging.”
In being a multi-event threat, Olivia relishes in any event to showcase that valuable versatility. She adds that when it comes to the butterfly, she feels right at home in the fast lane while firing through the water.
“I like the 200 individual medley because it has a lot of different strokes,” Olivia says. “It forces me to be versatile, and it also includes strokes that I am strong and weak in, so it also forces me out of my comfort zone a bit. I also enjoy the 100 butterfly, because it is such a smooth stroke. I just feel in tune with it when I am going fast through it.”
Olivia certainly packed a lunch pail for the night of states with a quadruple header of appearances for the Cougars. She explains that whether she was leading off or closing out a relay, or performing as a solo act, the main motif of the night was the groundswell of support from her colleagues.
“I did the 200 medley relay first, and I swam the 50 backstroke part of it. I had the support of my relay team and I was able to stay focused. The 100 fly is the main event I am trying to improve upon, and I had an adrenaline rush from that thanks to my team cheering me on,” says Olivia. “I did not focus so much on my time, and did not overthink it in general. I have a love-hate relationship with the 100 backstroke; it is great but it is tiring, too. Everyone cheered me on, though, which helped my time. The 400 free relay was my last one, and I anchored it. It was hard to stay motivated at the end of the day, but my team kept the energy up.”
When it comes to shaving off seconds, Olivia maintains a mentality that it is not about staring at the clock for personal time trials–she explains the devil is in the details.
“I have been really honing in on my technique and stroke,” Olivia says. “I am focusing on the little things of what I need to do in a stroke to get faster.”
H-K Head Coach Alison Karam sings the praises of Olivia for not only her accomplishments within the waves, but outside of the pool with her calm but inspiring and energetic demeanor as a leader.
“Liv is the first junior to have been voted onto our Team Leadership squad,” says Karam. “She is a calm, positive, and by example leader with a quick smile and sense of humor. Liv not only practiced hard, she helped lead some practices, made automatic qualifying times for states in three individual events for the second year in a row, was willing to swim any event in a meet for the good of the team, and she had the highest point total for the team this season.”
The Cougars carved out a great deal of success with a seven-win dual-meet campaign with a small roster of girls–something which was a product of being a well-rounded club that truly cared about each other on a daily basis.
“A big part of our team’s success came from the cohesiveness of the group and being a tight-knit family,” says Olivia. “We were encouraging and pushing each other in practice, which also was another big component. We would also hype each other up before meets, and we hope to continue the success next year.”
While Olivia is focused on seeing the continued ascendency of H-K’s status with the upper echelon programs in the pool for her senior season in 2024, she personally wants to keep improving upon her marks and being a quintessential squad steward and pilot for the club.
“I am hoping to improve my times in the 100 butterfly and 200 IM,” says Olivia. “I am hoping to make the state finals again for the 100 fly, along with the 200 IM. I want to keep working on my technique for the butterfly. I also want to keep pushing the team, and then pushing myself to be a better leader for the team.”