Pride in the Pool: GFS Swimming

On most winter afternoons, the pool deck is quiet when it comes to Germantown Friends School. There are no lanes reserved in blue and orange, no full roster lined up behind starting blocks wearing matching warmups. And yet, once a year, at the Eastern Interscholastic Swimming Championships when the announcer calls out “Germantown Friends,” two student athletes step forward with unmistakable pride.

The Germantown Friends School swim team consists of two competitors. Just two; senior Julian Tropea and junior Rachel Cornejo. They train with their respective club programs six days a week, lift twice a week, balance demanding academic schedules, and still make time for friends and family. They do it all without the infrastructure of a traditional high school swim program. And still, when they pull on a GFS cap and step up to race, their school pride is every bit as strong as the teams who represent the Tigers every day of the season.

For Julian, a lifelong Tiger who has been at GFS since Kindergarten, and Rachel, who joined the community in first grade, swimming has never been about convenience. It has always been about commitment.

Rachel first dove into competitive swimming at just five years old with the Germantown Cricket Club. Today, she has come full circle, coaching five year olds at the same club where she first learned to love the water. “It’s really special,” she reflected. “I remember being that little kid. Now I get to help them start swimming on their own.”

Julian began competing at ten, training with Salvation Army Croc Aquatics before continuing his development with the Penn Charter Aquatic Club. Over the years, the sport has shaped him in quiet but powerful ways. This fall, he will continue his swimming career at Lehigh University, a testament to the dedication and discipline he has poured into the pool for nearly a decade. 

Neither athlete chose Germantown Friends because it had a swim team. In fact, GFS does not have a pool or a formal interscholastic swim program. But that absence never deterred them.

Rachel shared that she never felt like she was missing out. With close friends at school and strong friendships at her swim club, she experienced the best of both worlds. The GFS community supported her passions, even if swimming took place off campus. That sense of belonging mattered more than having a facility.

It says something meaningful about both students, and about the school community, that two accomplished swimmers would choose to continue their education here while pursuing a sport at such a high level externally. It speaks to loyalty, perspective, and an understanding that education and character extend far beyond a single activity.

Their weekly schedules are not for the faint of heart. Twice a week, they are in the water by 5:45 in the morning. They train six days a week in the pool. They lift twice weekly. They manage homework, projects, assessments, and college planning. They maintain friendships and show up fully in their classes. There is no room for complacency.

To be a successful swimmer requires extraordinary self discipline. It is an individual sport where progress is measured in fractions of a second and improvement demands consistency over years. There are no shortcuts. Julian and Rachel embody that mindset. Their maturity, focus, and kindness were evident in conversation. They took time out of packed schedules to sit down and reflect, doing so graciously and with genuine enthusiasm. They fully embody what it means to be a student-athlete at Germantown Friends. 

When asked what feels different about racing for their school compared to their club teams, both spoke about pride.

Julian competes in the 50 and 200yd freestyle. “It’s cool to represent a school that doesn’t have an official team,” he said. “When they announce Germantown Friends over the loudspeaker, it’s a great feeling.” In that moment, the countless early mornings and training sessions merge into something communal. He is not just swimming for a time. He is swimming for his school. Tropea concluded his GFS swim career with two outstanding performances, qualifying for the A final in the 200yd freestyle and the B final in the 50yd freestyle. His efforts produced 33 team points, a total that outscored five other teams in the field and underscored the impact a single dedicated athlete can make. 

Rachel races the 50yd freestyle and the 100yd backstroke. For her, competing under the GFS banner brings a unique perspective. “I enjoy swimming for GFS,” she shared. “Competing against teammates from club in a different setting is a nice mix up. It’s great to race friends who are at high schools with official swim teams. Nothing compares to school pride.” She saved her best for Eastern Regionals where, with GFS on her swim cap, she PR’d in the 50yd free and swam a season best in the 100yd backstroke. 

Though they are not the closest of friends in their daily school lives, they are undeniably teammates. There is a shared understanding between them. A shared respect. A shared experience that few others at GFS can fully grasp. When one races, the other is there to cheer. When one finishes, the other celebrates. In a sport defined by individual performance, they have found partnership.

Julian, reflecting on his journey as a senior, offered advice he wishes he had embraced earlier. “Listen to everything your coach says. Trust your coach. Even when it gets hard, trust them.” It is simple guidance, but it carries the weight of experience. Swimming teaches patience and resilience. It teaches athletes to push through discomfort and trust the process. This fall, Julian will continue his swimming career at Lehigh University, where he will immediately join the varsity team and carry his work ethic and competitive drive to the next level.

Rachel, looking ahead to her senior year, hopes for something both humble and meaningful. She hopes she is not the only one competing next season. Having Julian as a teammate has mattered. “You get to go through the experience with someone else,” she said. “You have someone to celebrate with, cheer on, and cheer for you.” While swimming is not her primary focus in her college search, she is open to the idea of swimming for a club team and will certainly be keeping swimming as part of her fitness routine. “It would be really hard for me to quit swimming forever so quickly.” 

There is something quietly powerful about two athletes who train largely outside the spotlight yet show up wholeheartedly when called upon to represent their school. Their story is not about numbers on a roster. It is about dedication. It is about loyalty to community. It is about the pride of hearing “Germantown Friends” echo across a pool deck and knowing you carry that name into the water.

As Julian prepares to continue his journey at Lehigh and Rachel looks ahead to her final year, their example stands as an invitation. If you are a swimmer at GFS, or if you have ever considered diving into the sport, know that there is a place for you under the Tigers banner. You may train with a club. You may balance early mornings and long days. But when the moment comes to compete for your school, you will not be alone. Two swimmers have shown what is possible with discipline, humility, and pride. Perhaps next season, when Germantown Friends is announced over the loudspeaker, more Tigers will step forward to the blocks.