Northview has been known to show support for victims of cancer through the annual blackout game and fundraisers, as well as various pink out games. The girls team, however, showed support by swapping out their old swim caps in for ones with a pink ‘N’ to honor fellow teammate junior Abi Howe’s mother, Kristen Howe, who was diagnosed with breast cancer during on June 26, 2018, as well as Suann Foust, the pool director, who beat breast cancer in the past.
“It’s amazing seeing Mrs. Howe come to all of our swim meets,” junior Emma Vandyke said. “Her love and support for not only her daughter but the swim program as a whole, doesn’t go unnoticed. [She] is an inspiration to me, I hope to be half the person she is.”
The idea to change the caps for the season came about during the summer from senior and captain, Brooke Johnson, who had heard that Howe had been diagnosed. Johnson and the other senior captains planned the caps as a surprise for the Howes.
“On one hand, it’s one of the most amazing things to look at our team and see the pink “N” on each of my teammates’ caps,” Howe said. “On the other it’s almost terrifying, knowing that all of these people know about my mom’s cancer after we had to wait a long time before we could tell anyone other than family.”
Kirsten Howe isn’t a stranger to the community. She graduated from Northview in 1995, where she swam all throughout high school. Each of her four kids attends Northview Public Schools and her husband, Matt Howe, teaches for the district.
This experience has left a major impact on the Howe family and the community, but the impact that this has left on the team is beyond words for most of the girls, they have a bond that’s not quite like anything else they’ve experienced and with that they are able to be there and show support for one another.
“I have learned that our team isn’t a team, it’s a family,” senior and captain Savvy Sweat said. “We share everything together and we aren’t afraid to do it because we don’t judge each other. What happens in the pool and locker rooms stays there. I shared a lot of things about my life to these girls and feel better after because I trust [them].”
Other schools have voiced their support in the matter and the girls agree that this represents not only Northview as a school, but the community.
“This small act of kindness perfectly captures the swim team and Northview community,” Howe said.
Having the community on board is definitely a positive, but the caps symbolize more than just an individual.
“Our pink swim caps symbolize our love and strength as a team,” Vandyke said. “Our team is so strong. We are united, we are selfless, we are invincible.”
The physical and emotional strength of the swimmers is possible only with the support that the team has for one another.
The Howe family also continues to support the girls as the team and the community continues to support them.
“It feels as though time is whizzing by but also never passing since her diagnosis,” Howe said. “I still sometimes think I accidentally let out the news.”
Through this rough patch for the family, all of the girls have learned individual lessons and are starting to look at life in a different aspect.
“At any minute one event can occur and alter the rest of our lives,” Vandyke said. “That is why I don’t take for granted the ability to dive into the pool each day and work my hardest. This experience has shown me how close my team is, and that they will always have my back no matter what.”
