By Sami Lachgar
Editor-in-Chief

Imagine swimming lap after lap, constantly becoming more exhausted and knowing that the end isn’t near. Sounds painful, right? To senior swim team captain Thomas Bullock, this sounds like his daily routine in what is essentially his second home.

“I’ve been swimming since I was 5 and I’ve been swimming year-round for most of my life,” Bullock said. “My greatest strength is probably just my hard work and dedication to the sport, and how I’m always working to try and get better and trying to get my teammates to get better by pushing them harder.”

For his senior season, Bullock is swimming in the 200 meter Individual Medley, the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke. Although he would most likely be able to dominate in many other events, Bullock has displayed a particular talent in these and has even participated on the national stage.

Swimming is widely regarded as one of the most physically demanding sports, so very few actually remain invested in the sport for such a long time. Bullock’s passion has allowed him to set attainable goals and efficiently achieve them due to his un-flinching dedication to the swim team.

Senior teammate Ellis Geary has been able to observe Bullock’s improvements over the past four years and has watched him develop into a leader on the squad.

“Thomas is an excellent swimmer and an inspiring leader on the team,” Geary said. “He has a burning passion for swimming, but I think he spends too much time with his girlfriend.”

That’s a running joke: Bullock has dated teammate Laura Johnson for nearly two years.

Alex Black, the head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams, said the tremendous amount of work Bullock puts in sets him apart from the rest and allows him to keep moving forward.

“(Bullock) is leading an extremely young team, but he is knowledgeable, confident, warm and open,” Black said. “We want to get stronger, better and faster than when we began the year. We’re doing well so far!”

Bullock is a four-year standout who received all-conference honors in his first three years and made the cuts for the state meet in each of those years as well. This season, Bullock will be attempting to break as many personal records as possible while hopefully making a trip back to the state meet in order to continue competing.

“Swimming for Reynolds is more focused on camaraderie, so you get to know your teammates better and you actually have a relationship with them,” Bullock said.

Bullock would like to be able to continue swimming in college and he is looking at a variety of schools in order to keep honing his well-fostered talent. Bullock is also the vice-president of the Key Club and an involved member of the school community.

“(Bullock’s) ability to win and lose with grace and a smile has made him a cherished brother amongst his teammates,” Black said.