Sports

Homecoming-day meet stirs controversy among girls swim and dive team

Nimrie Ramsdell, Coverage Editor

November 2, 2025

Sophomore Maisie Potts dives off the blocks, commencing her race.

Getting ready for the Homecoming dance can be a lot, especially for girls. They have to worry about their hair and makeup, which is often both a physical and social process, and many friends get ready together. They also have to make time for pictures and dinner. However, the girls swim and dive team’s Homecoming preparations included an added task—swimming at a meet designed to produce fast races and state-qualifying times.

The team was originally supposed to attend a meet hosted by the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (MISCA), which took place in Holland, Michigan, and later in the day. However, the coaches, Danielle Gray and Merritt Stimac, knew that Homecoming was that day, so they created an alternative to the MISCA meet. Hosting a home meet earlier in the day, they invited Ann Arbor Skyline High School, Midland H.H. Dow High School and South Lyon High School to compete against them.

While the change was intended to allow the girls to attend Homecoming while still giving them the chance to compete, it produced mixed feelings among the team.

“Our coach moved it, so we were originally supposed to go somewhere else, and it would be like later in the day. So she moved it up, but I still wish we didn’t have anything,” junior Maisie Potts said.

There were different views on how the Homecoming dance affected the race. Some believed that it did impact the races.

“I think a lot of the girls were definitely distracted,” junior Melia Fallone said. “So I think we weren’t necessarily as focused as we need to be for our races, but I think it was all right,.”

In contrast to that, some people believed that Homecoming helped push them to be faster.

“I do agree that the girls were distracted, but I also feel like it gave me motivation to go faster so I could leave quicker then go to Homecoming,” sophomore Natalie Mazur said.

Despite the controversy that hosting a meet on the day of Homecoming provided, the team still swam well in their races, ending with a score of 71 points and earning three first-place placements, six second-place placements and five third-place placements. They ended with a huge leap ahead of second place, which was the Ann Arbor Skyline, which earned a score of 46.

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About the Contributors

Nimrie Ramsdell, Coverage Editor

Nimrie is a junior who loves to read and write. This is her third year writing for The BHS Times and her first year in the yearbook. She runs track in the spring and works for the student athletic department. Her favorite activities outside of school are listening to music, reading, and hanging out with friends and family.

Ari Hickman, Editor-in-Chief

Ari is a senior, and this is her third year serving as the editor-in-chief of The BHS Times. She also participates in Model UN, Civic Leaders of America, Yearbook, NHS, and Interact. Outside of school, she is a freelance writer for The Livingston Daily, and she enjoys reading, volunteering, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends.