SOL Boys/Girls Swimming Notebook (1-18-18)

Hatboro-Horsham’s John Scully, CB East's Caroline Cassidy and Council Rock South’s Josh Belder are featured in this week’s SOL swimming notebook.

National Conference

Josh Belder, Council Rock South
Josh Belder followed a somewhat familiar path to swimming.
“I had asthma when I was younger and my parents were trying to figure out what I could do with that and we found swimming,” said Belder, a junior.“I started swimming when I was about nine so I’ve been at it for about eight years now and it’s been great. I really fell in love with the sport.”
He is hoping this season will be a good one for himself and his team.
“I think our team has a lot of potential and I’m excited to see what we can do this year,” he said. “For myself, I’d really like to drop time this year. I want to swim in college and it’s time to really get serious about that.
“I’ve talked to a few coaches and seen a few teams and so far I really like Lafayette and Ursinus. They’re my number one choices right now.”
He was 13th in the 100-yard breaststroke at last year’s District One Class 3A meet.
“I’d like to move up and it would be great to get to states,” he said.
He plans to major in either biology or pre-med.
“I would like to become a doctor,” he said. “That’s my long-term goal and those majors are both good for that.”
Belder’s other interest also involves water.
“I’m really into fishing,” he said. “Some friends and I started a fishing club at school, so that’s our big thing this year. It’s a nice community of friends who like to fish so we’re trying to really get that going because it’s a good activity.”

Continental Conference

Caroline Cassidy, Central Bucks East
Being a senior captain was a change for Caroline Cassidy.
“The first couple of days of practice I wasn’t used to being a leader so it was really funny for me to do things like lead dryland and cheers,” she said. “But now I’m used to it and I really like it. It’s fun to lead the cheers and host the social events at my house and I really enjoy helping the freshmen and sophomores.
“I’m very excited for this year. We’re looking really strong. We have a lot of talent and a lot of new faces. I think this is going to be a good season for us.”
In addition to swimming, Cassidy is a member of the class council leadership and is the secretary for the Class of 2018.
“It’s very exciting to be a class officer and I like being involved in different things,” she said.
She’s been a swimmer since age eight.
“A family friend told me to join the Fanny Chapman swim team so I did and it was one of the best decisions of my life,” she said. “I love swimming.”
She is looking to major in nursing but isn’t quite sure where she would like to go.
“I don’t want to give up swimming, but nursing is a very serious major so I can see myself swimming club just to keep active in the sport,” she said.
She would like to break a minute in the 100 butterfly this year.
“That’s my goal,” she said. “It’s actually been my goal for awhile so maybe this is the year for me to do it.”

American Conference

John Scully, Hatboro-Horsham
John Scully has set some goals for himself.
“I kind of want to win the 50 (freestyle) at districts this year,” said Scully, a senior captain at Hatboro-Horsham. “And I want to be sub-21 in that. I want to be at a 45 in the 100 free. I just have ideas in my head of where I think I can be and I just hope I can reach them.
“I also feel like I can drop a lot of time in the backstroke this year. Last year I didn’t do that well in that event and hopefully I can just do better there and drop at least two seconds.”
Scully is very focused on swimming but it wasn’t always that way. As a youngster he divided his time between swimming and soccer, which continued into high school.
“My freshman and sophomore years I swam and played soccer but my junior year I made the decision to give up soccer and just go all in on swimming because that’s the sport I want to do in college,” he said.
He hasn’t chosen a college yet, but knows what he wants.
“I’m looking at a few schools,” Scully said. “I really liked NYU and I also liked Pitt, but I’d have to drop a lot of time to go there. I want to major in civil engineering and both schools are great for that major.”
In addition to swimming for the Hatters, Scully is an internal vice president for the student council at Hatboro-Horsham.