Conifer HS swimmer Holly Dykema on friendship, sportsmanship and the future
CONIFER, Colo. — “You are never going to swim a perfect race, Holly — ever. You will always be able to do something better, no matter what. But if you swam and gave it everything you had, then that is all that matters,” Conifer High School junior Holly Dykema recounts of the sage advice she received from her Stingrays swim team head coach, Heather Howe. Dykema, who has been swimming for 13 of her 17 years, is as pragmatic as she is ambitious. For many years, she dreamed of swimming in the Olympics, but she’s since turned her attention to swimming for a college or university. “Getting into college for a sport is hard, especially for swimming since it’s based on your best times. But working hard and putting in my best effort will help me get where I want to be,” she says.
Dykema currently swims on two club teams — the Stingrays and the Evergreen Hurricanes — as well as her high school swim team. A versatile athlete, she has also participated in soccer, gymnastics, running, basketball, beach volleyball and indoor volleyball, but she says the mental aspect of swimming is what challenges her the most. “Sure, having the right mentality for any sport is hard,” she observes. “But swimming is different. Swimming is based on you. It’s based on your best times and how fast you can swim from the shortest event of 50 yards or meters to the longest event of 1,650 yards or meters. Adding time can have a major toll on your attitude, but it’s important to realize that it happens to everyone at some point.”
For 13 years, Dykema has honed the same pre-race routine to feel confident when she steps up to the blocks: She smashes her goggles as tightly to her face as she can — usually multiple times — takes a few deep breaths, jumps up and down, and hits her legs to wake them up. “This all occurs within a few minutes of every single race. Ever since I was little, I’ve always had a fear of my goggles coming off during a race. It quite literally makes me fear that I won’t be able to do the best I can. All my friends, coaches and my family know this,” she explains. One of Dykema’s proudest moments in swimming occurred when she broke the one-minute time in the 100-yard freestyle race. It was during her first year with the Evergreen Hurricanes, and the Loveland Holiday Showdown championships happened to fall on her birthday. “I could hear loud whistles as I was swimming as fast as I could,” Dykema recalls. “When I finished at the wall and looked at the board, I was stoked to see I finally went under a minute. For several months, I had been working hard for that goal!”
Setting goals, supporting teammates and practicing good sportsmanship are important aspects of swimming for Dykema. When she finishes a race, she makes a point of shaking hands with the competitors on either side of her. “You don’t have to be enemies with the people you are swimming against,” she says. “Of course, you want to beat them. But you don’t have to be unsportsmanlike.”
As with many long-term relationships, Dykema acknowledges that hers with swimming has its highs and lows. “It’s such a love-hate relationship,” she laughs. “I hate all the hard workouts we do every day, but I absolutely love the end result. The hard workouts push me to make me a better swimmer. I love the feeling of dropping time at swim meets and being able to see that all the hours of hard workouts have paid off. I love being able to have that moment of happiness and a feeling of accomplishment after my races. Additionally, I love the social aspect of it. Everyone on my team is going through the same thing. We work hard together and understand each other. Having these friendships allows me to enjoy my sport even more. I’ve met some of my best friends I couldn’t imagine my life without.”
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