On Nov. 10, junior Michael Rose competed for the Rebels in the 50 yard freestyle, 200 yard freestyle relay, 400 yard freestyle relay and 100 yard butterfly at the 2019 South Sectional Swim Championship. Despite qualifying for all events, Rose only competed in four, putting his main focus on the 100 yard butterfly.

Rose did not start out his WHS swimming career as a freshman; in fact, he played football up until his sophomore year when he decided to test his luck on the swim team.

“I decided to switch from football to swimming after my freshman year because I didn’t enjoy football as much as I thought I would, and I was looking for a change. I had been swimming competitively for Walpole since I was seven and joining was an incredible decision,” Rose said. “I’ve developed so many friendships on the team to the point where I consider them family.”

Immediately after joining the team, his coaches and teammates clearly identified his raw talent and helped train him throughout his first season. It was not until his junior year that he became a standout member that helped lead the team to victories and make personal records throughout the season.

As a sophomore, Rose was a key participant in the South Sectional Swim Championships, qualifying for every event except the 200 and 500 yard freestyle. Rose was able to secure three gold medals and one silver medal. Despite his achievements, Rose still leaves himself room for improvement.

Following his strong performance in Sectionals, Rose qualified for the Massachusetts State Swim Championships in the 50 yard freestyle individually, and he also competed in the 200 yard medley relay and the 400 yard freestyle relay.

Going into his junior year season, Rose had a big reputation to live up to and he hoped to achieve even more than his first year of swimming. By the end of October, Rose clearly outshined his sophomore year performance and developed many more skills throughout the season. Even though he is only a junior, Rose is a positive influence on his teammates.

“His drive motivates us to do our best and work even harder. Seeing him continuously finish a set first in practice makes the rest of us want to finish faster,” junior Danielle Abril said. “Having such a positive and hard working influence on the team provides us all with an even stronger reason to push ourselves and do the best we can for the team.”

Rose won gold in all four of his races in the South Sectional Swim Championships and set his personal record in both of his individual races. Rose swam a 22.93 in the 50 yard freestyle and set a Sectional Meet record in the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 58.54 seconds.

“Watching Michael Rose perform in Sectionals was very motivating. He continues to impress all of us by continuously making and breaking records in every race. I don’t even know how to explain it, he just keeps getting faster and doing better each race,” Abril said. “Despite this season almost being over, we all know that he is bound to continue breaking these records in the next season, and his future as a swimmer just keeps looking up.”

Placing first in all four of his races guaranteed Rose a spot in all four of his races in the Massachusetts State Swim Championship.

“Leading up to States, I’m most excited for the relays. We have been dominant in the relays this year —we haven’t lost, and we hope to stay that way and finish on a high note for our seniors participating in the relays,” Rose said. “It would be a great way to close the year.”