In February 2015, while attending the Senior State Championship Meet in St. George, Race Swami unveiled a broad new tradition by debuting a gold swim cap that would be used for the relays and finals at the meet. The traditional green caps were worn during preliminary races at the Senior meet, but then the gold caps were unleashed for all the evening races throughout the 3-day affair. The sparkling new metallic gold caps came as a complete surprise to the swimmers, who breezed through team-record setting relays on their way to a Top 20 finish overall (not bad given the fact only 4 Swami athletes were present for this meet).
The gold caps made a second and third appearance in March 2015, first at the Beehive Finale meet in Provo, then a week later at the Utah Age Group State Championships, where more than 95% best times were recorded. At the later meet, the caps were worn for the evening races only, just like at the Senior State Meet a month prior. Perhaps the most significant race came when the 11-12 Girls 200 Medley Relay raced to a compelling 1st place finish from Lane 10 in the first of two heats. The team of Natasha Franco, Angie Fregoso, Arianna Holsten, and Daniela Thompson ended up 8th place overall in a field of 22 (Race Swami was seeded 20th going into the race). Thus, a new tradition was born! A legendary story was made!
The gold caps were meant to evoke hair raising emotion for the Swami Community--swimmers, coaches, parents, and fans alike. And given the results from the last three championship meets, they have done just that! Race Swami has always been intrigued by symbolic gestures that pay ode to inspiring stories from the past--from the Fleur de Lis logo, to the whimsical Oaxacan-inspired team shirts, to the end-of-season Team Fiesta. And this new tradition will only fuel that line by giving swimmers an extra incentive to conjure up their very best, knowing that the gold caps symbolize the celebration of a hard-fought season full of adversity, team-bonding, community-building, and personal growth.
Unlike the traditional green Swami caps, which can proclaim an array of messages including, "Sí Se Puede," "Make a "Difference," or a personal name (first name, last name, or nickname), the gold caps only bear the team's central mantra, "Sí Se Puede!" or "yes we can!"