I remember the day Hayfield’s “Hawktivities” accounts announced the new partnership with Nike. The school proudly announcing that all fonts, logos and shades of orange would be the same everywhere. The comments were filled with Hayfield athletes, parents, teams, and supporters, all excited for this new change. But I found myself feeling something different, I was disappointed. 

Ever since my freshman year, I’ve been swimming on Hayfield’s varsity swim team. But, my swim story starts much earlier than that. My mom put me in the water at just 12 months old, and I swam my first race at age 8. All of that to say, I’ve gained some experience in the water. During all this time, I have tried possibly every swimming brand under the sun. There’s Speedo, Arena, TYR, and as we got older, Jolyn and Funkita entered the picture as well. I had not used a single piece of Nike swim gear until my sophomore year of High school, which I would discover had been for a good reason. 

It is important to acknowledge that there are many different types of swimwear. Fashion swimsuits, or leisure swimwear, are often looser and more comfortable to wear. The materials of the suit can vary widely, and are often found at a lower price. The competitive swim scene really has two different types of suits, a practice or team suits as well as technical racing suits. These practice suits are more form fitting, allowing for less drag and are usually made of polyester, but can be found in other materials.

For the Winter 2023 season, the swim and dive team chose to use Nike suits as their base. Many swimmers, myself included, were open to trying it. By the end of the season, the consensus was no more Nike.

“The suits are not good quality for competitions, and the sizing is off compared to other swimsuit brands like Speedo and Arena,” senior Sarah Belenky said.

While I understand everyone has their preferences, it is easy to say that Nike’s focus is not on swimming. I’ve tried multiple Nike suits before, and they have never been my first pick. I find their material choice to feel strange and the sizing to be off. But my main issue with the suit was the condition I found it in, not too long after I bought it. The material started to stretch and pull faster than other suits I’ve had, and I only wore it once a week for 2 months.

But luckily for the swim and dive hawks, not every team is expected to wear Nike. According to Student Activities Director, Monty Fritts, Swim, Wrestling, and Cheer aren’t required to wear uniforms with the swoosh on them. This way, everyone gets to benefit from this new partnership.