BCAT News

Burlington High School Girls Swim Team and the Woburn High School Girls Swim Team have been combined into a single team. 

BHS Athletic Director Shaun Hart explained that BHS opens registration for fall sports in early June. At the close of registration in early August BHS only had five swimmers signed up.

“Which wasn’t enough to have a team,” said Hart.

Hart had a conversation with Woburn’s Athletic Director who only had nine swimmers registered and they realized if they put their swimmers together they’d have a better opportunity to field a team.

The BHS Swim Coach had already stepped down and it was worked out that Woburn’s Swim Coach Courtney Eisenberg would take over coaching duties for the combined squad. 

“She was happy because it gave her more student-athletes to coach and a more competitive team,” Hart continued. “After the dust settled we had about 25 to 26 on the team. It’s phenomenal for us because now we have one really great, competitive team and I think they’re all loving it.”

The merger is leaving out traditional mascots and team colors.

“We built one uniform, it has the Woburn ‘W’ and the Burlington ‘B’ superimposed on each other. We got black swimsuits not because Woburn’s black, but because black bathing suits are the easiest to find,” explained Hart. “And then we bought pink bathing caps for all the kids so they look like a team. It’s not our team or their team – it’s just a team that has come together really well. There’s no Burlington, Woburn divide, its girls competing and loving the fact that they are on a team.” 

The unification of the Burlington and Woburn swimmers has certainly proven to be an asset to their competitiveness. 

“The team is competing at a high level and winning, or losing very close meets. So it’s everything you can ask for right now.”

Hart spoke to the possibility of continuing the partnership in future seasons. 

“If it works well for us and the kids are loving it then we’ll keep it going. But there has to be a need for it. It’s too early to tell right now.”