Jackson Hobeika swims through the water with speed, his heart pounding as the finish line gets closer. Adrenaline rushes through his body, powering him forward with every stroke. The sound of the crowd rises in a loud roar cheering him on until he reaches the wall first.

Despite Hobeika’s individual success in the pool, the Pin Oak swim team faced a challenging start to the season on Dec. 3, when they lost their first meet at Bellaire High School against T.H. Rogers.

“Even though we did not do as well as we could have in the last meet, I think we can do better and improve for future meets,” Hobeika said.

Hobeika is one of the fastest swimmers on the team, with a 50-yard freestyle time of 29.63 seconds. His goal with the Pin Oak swim team is to help improve the swimmers’ performance.

“What motivates me to do better at meets is to help further [improve] the team, to help my fellow swimmers by giving a better example on what they should do for speed and what they aspire to,” Hobeika said.

Aside from swimming for Pin Oak, Hobeika is also a member of the club HTX Swims, where he has received guidance from his coach, Carlon McClerkin, since the 2021-2022 season. Hobeika is always open to feedback, whether swimming for Pin Oak or HTX Swims.

“The area of my technique that I probably need to improve on is my butterfly rhythm,” Hobeika said. “I’ve got the arm movements down, but my legs in pattern with my arms need some work.

The swim team allows Hobeika to get more practice time. Instead of practicing just four times a week at HTX, now he can squeeze in another day to train with Pin Oak.

“What inspired me to join the Pin Oak swim team is to be faster and better and to have fun with my friends that are also swimmers.”

Another Pin Oak swimmer who shares the same sense of competitiveness and dedication in the pool as Hobeika is seventh-grader Alyssandra Bruno. She has learned the importance of teamwork through her interactions with her teammates.

“The swim team has made me a better person by letting me get to know everyone and it gives us more experience with teamwork,” Bruno said.

Joining the swim team has helped her develop her time management skills as she now balances swimming, orchestra, and other core classes. While balancing academics and extracurricular activities can be challenging for many student-athletes, Bruno finds a way to finish all of her work while still prioritizing all of her extracurricular activities.

“I have practice in the afternoons so I get all my homework done in Team Time and in other classes,” Bruno said.

Mark your calendars and show your support for the Pin Oak swim team at their upcoming meet on Jan. 8, 2025 at 5:15 p.m. at Bellaire High School.