Beating the school’s 50m Freestyle record not once but twice in the same year, self-driven and charismatic swimmer, Devon Carpenter has made a name for himself and his swim team here at NAHS. Originally, Carpenter, passed the school’s record of 26.19 seconds by 0.31 seconds at the beginning of the school year but passed it once more and now holds the school’s 50m Freestyle record for a time of 25.66 seconds.

“It might sound funny, but when I’m swimming, I honestly just think of food,” Carpenter revealed.“I was shocked that I broke a record so early in the season, but then I realized that all of my hard work had paid off.” During swim practice, Carpenter tries his best to finish the whole workout by not skipping sets and swimming to the best of his ability.

Although Carpenter broke the 50m Freestyle Record, he swims in multiple events for NAHS’ swimming team, like the 100m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly, 200m medley relay, 200m free relay, and 100m Breaststroke.

“Although you are on a team and there are relays, when you are racing, it is just you and your competition,” he explained. “Being in the water blocks out all of the outside noise and helps you put your heart into every start, every stroke, every turn, and every finish. In close competitions, it really comes down to who wants it more and I always strive to finish.”

Carpenter’s interest in swimming sparked around the age of 12 when he watched the Olympics on TV during the summer. “While I was on vacation, there was a pool, so I was acting like I was in the Olympics and I realized how fun it is and wanted to try it for real,” he said.

While swimming plays a role in Carpenter’s high school life, he is also active in many other after school clubs and activities. In addition to swimming, Carpenter is the co-president of the Class of 2021 and is heavily involved in DECA, student council, and Young Scholars.

“I love being involved and having something to do, but the main reason I’m in a lot of clubs is because I learn so many new things about myself, and it helps me become a better person,” Carpenter said. “Being involved in clubs helps my leadership and personal relationships develop. I also feel like being involved in clubs helps make other people’s lives better by bringing positive change.”

Carpenter also plays for a volleyball team outside of the school, jokingly differentiating the two sports by stating how swimming involves water and volleyball doesn’t. “When you are swimming, it’s almost like a different world because you’re underwater,” Carpenter explained.  “It’s just you and the water.”

Although Carpenter enjoys swimming, he joked, “I don’t like how the chlorine stinks up my bag and makes my skin and hair feel dry.” Besides the chlorine, he doesn’t like “being wet or not being able to breathe the underwater because it makes me really tired.”

Personally, Carpenter hopes to better himself and encourage his teammates to do the same. “It would be nice to set another record but it is not something that I am necessarily pushing for,” Carpenter added. “I just want to ensure that I am doing my best and getting better every time I get into a pool.”

Carpenter values the other members of his swim team. Even though the team is smaller than most other high school swim teams, the swimmers stick together, “When I think about being on the NAHS swim team I can think of two things: struggle and pride,” Carpenter explained. “Considering how small NAHS’ swim team is compared to other schools, we go into most of our meets with a guaranteed loss.”

Carpenter believes he and his teammates give it “everything they have,” and it’s hard to see their hard work pay off when they lose. The team typically struggles to find wins due to its lack of swimmers. Other schools would have their lanes completely filled, as they have a larger swim team. This does not matter to the NAHS swim team because it is able to go to every meet with a positive mindset, all swimmers ready to give it their all.

“When you ask us where we are from, we say Norristown with a proud smile,” Carpenter said with confidence.