The Core Four

*photo provided by Lori Murphy

The Core Four

Kentland’s Task Force is collaborating with South Newton’s Interactive Media class! Student, Kaylie Williamson, interviewed a group called the Core Four on the swim team.

Who Are the Core Four?

A glimpse at South Newton’s swim team.

On the South Newton swim team, there are four seniors nicknamed the “Core Four.” They have been swimming since middle school and have shown outstanding dedication to this sport over the years, whether that’s doing summer swim programs or going the extra mile for the team. The Core Four consists of Kayla Florian, Andrew Kindig, Ian Wernert, and Kaylie Williamson (myself). A diverse but tight-knit group, we’ve shown a commitment and love for swimming, a sport that usually goes unnoticed at South Newton when compared to other sports. I’ve asked Kayla, Andrew, and Ian to answer some questions about our senior year swim season, and what comes afterwards. Here are their responses!

Kayla Florian

1. South Newton Swim’s first meet was Thursday, December 4th. How did it go for you?
I believe that I did the best that I could for our first meet of the season. A couple of days prior to the meet, I hadn’t been feeling very good, so I was just glad I was able to swim. I look forward to the rest of the season and hope to swim the 100 Butterfly again.

2. How do you feel about the team this year?
Overall, I like this team a lot. I think we have great chemistry and know how to always have fun. My favorite thing about this team is having the Core Four by my side these past four years. They’re truly some of my greatest friends and I’m forever thankful for them.

3. How does it feel to be a senior during COVID?
I honestly can’t believe I am a senior this year. That’s the first thing. To be a senior during COVID? It really makes me sad, and I wish I could start this year over again. I’m sure this goes for everyone. Numbers are continuing to grow, we have already been sent home and I am scared that we’re not going to be able to compete in all of our meets, especially Sectionals.

4. What are your plans after graduating?
I plan to run for an Indiana FFA State Officer position. If all goes well, I will take a gap year to serve Indiana FFA. I then plan to attend a university to study Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, in hopes of becoming a Large Animal Veterinarian.

5. Are you going to miss high school?
While I am excited to gain more independence, encounter new experiences, and start my career, I am not ready to be completely on my own and in a new environment that I am not used to. I hope to always be close to my school and community, donating my time to always serve those around me. I believe being a part of a small community my whole life has changed my perspective on life. It’s made me love where I live.

Andrew Kindig

1. South Newton Swim’s first meet was Thursday, December 4th. How did it go for you?
For the first meet of the season, and with the limited practices we are allowed, I think I did pretty well. There are a lot of things I could work on, but overall it wasn’t bad.

2. How do you feel about the team this year? 
I feel good about our team this year. We have a great group of people and they all work really hard.

3. How does it feel to be a senior during COVID? 
I am a little upset with what COVID is doing to our senior season but we are doing the best we can.

4. What are your plans after graduating? 
I plan to attend Purdue University and major in aeronautical engineering.

5. Are you going to miss high school? 
I will miss high school, especially the people on this team. I think that my transition to college won’t be hard, but the way this season is going I will not be prepared to leave my team.

Ian Wernert

1. South Newton Swim’s first meet was Thursday, December 4th. How did it go for you?
I’d say we had a pretty good first meet, considering how the season started out. We’ve missed at least two weeks of in-pool practices because of COVID-19, so I think the fact that we were actually able to go and represent South Newton was pretty great. I was pretty close to several of my personal records, so I’m excited for the possibility of breaking these this year, since I’m not as conditioned as I usually am starting the season. As far as I know, the rest of the Core Four did well at the meet and are looking to improve.

2. How do you feel about the team this year? 
I wish we had two more guys at the very least. Then we’d be able to do all three relays, and would technically have enough to do every event. While that’s not the case, I’m glad for who is on the team. Andrew and I are both part of the Core Four, and have been committed to the swim team for several years now. Jonathan Moss has also been in swim every year, and it’s great to see his commitment to the sport and the team. Our newest addition, Tristan, is a great peer, representing us in diving and filling out our relays. We may not be able to beat some of the bigger schools, but I think with some more practices we’ll get faster and be able to surprise some people. As for the girls’ team, we’ve got a lot of good swimmers there, and I’m excited to see how well they’ll do this year.

The Core Four is always a fun time, and they have a lot of fun with the idea. They all like taking pictures together as a group, though I’m not much of a picture-person. In any case, I’m always rooting for them, and I hope that they achieve their goals not only for the swim season, but with their plans for life as well.

3. How does it feel to be a senior during COVID-19?
Not too much different than being a Junior or a Sophomore. The classes are a bit more challenging and now I have to focus on scholarships, but other than that not much is different. When the school has to close down, we are still taught in the same manner as if we were in person, just online. I will admit that it’s been a more difficult to stay motivated this year and ensure I’m getting everything done.  Like plenty of people at home, I’m more likely to procrastinate.

4. What are your plans after graduating?
My plans after graduation are to major in something in CIT (Computer Information Technology) at Purdue University, and also take ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) while I’m there. After earning my Bachelor’s degree and graduating from Purdue, the next step in my plan is to serve in the Army for several years, hopefully some of those as an Army Ranger.

5. Are you going to miss high school?
I don’t believe that I’ll miss high school, primarily because of the stress it brings. Classwork will pile up, and while I may seem like a very extroverted person who gets along well with pretty much everyone, I never truly feel like I fit in with most of my friend groups. So instead of being uncomfortable, I just play music in my ears and go about my own business.

I am excited to go to Purdue for college, as I’ll have a ROTC cadet there who I know from when I did Purdue’s ROTC cadet Shadow Program. It will be good to see him again. I’ll definitely miss a core group of my friends made up of all of my friend groups, but I’m willing to bet that we’ll stay in touch and keep tabs on each other.

Kaylie Williamson

1. South Newton Swim’s first meet was Thursday, December 4th. How did it go for you?
Personally, it went pretty well. I didn’t get last in my events, which I’m pretty happy about considering we went on quarantine for a whole two weeks. However, I definitely have lots of room for improvement.

2. How do you feel about the team this year? 
As a whole, we are a great group that’s committed to the team, and get along each other very well. We have a lot of great swimmers on both the boys and girls teams, and I know we definitely have a shot at getting on the podium again like we did last year. My favorite part of the team is making memories with the Core Four everyday, I’m going to miss them when swimming ends.

3. How does it feel to be a senior during COVID-19?
Being a senior during this time has been difficult, to put it lightly. So many things seem to go wrong each day, and it’s very stressful. We never know how much time we have left before we shut down again, which makes planning for things very hard. The uncertainty of everything definitely has taken a toll on me and others, but we’re all trying to push through it.

4. What are your plans after graduating?
My plan after graduation is to attend Ivy Tech at the Lake County Campus, earn an Associates degree, and become a physical therapy assistant.

5. Are you going to miss high school?
Right now, I do not think I will miss high school. It is difficult to focus on the positives of this year. However, I know that down the road I will miss the memories made and my friends. Most of all, I will definitely miss the Core Four. We are all going down different paths, and it will be hard to coordinate to see each other, especially with Ian going into the Army.

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