On the swim and dive team, family connections run deep with four sets of siblings competing together, including freshman Jarom and senior Hyrum Monreal, and senior twins Sam and Jack Arnett. While having a sibling on the same team brings unique challenges, it also creates bonds and competition that push each athlete to grow.
Jack and Sam Arnett have been swimming together for nearly six years. Jack sees their sibling rivalry as a benefit. “It could benefit us if we swim in the same event, just to have us compete more against each other,” he said. Jack usually swims the 500 freestyle, while Sam specializes in the 200 freestyle. Though they race different events, the brothers say having each other around always keeps the competition alive.
Sam agreed, but from a different perspective. “It’s fun not participating in the same event because then I get to swim my own events without him interfering and I get to see what is strongest about me,” he explained. Still, Sam admits his brother pushes him: “I always have to try harder and swim faster to keep up with him.” Even with the competition, Sam said he’s grateful for the friendship that comes with having a built-in teammate: “I always have a friend I can count on.”
For the Monreal brothers, the experience is a little different. Freshman Jarom swims freestyle, and he said his older brother Hyrum helped him feel welcome from the start. “I already know a lot of people on the team from him, I guess, and I feel more welcome,” Jarom shared. For a freshman adjusting to high school, that support has made the transition easier.
Hyrum, a senior who swims the 100-meter breaststroke, admitted that being on the same team as his younger brother comes with some occasional bickering. But overall, he sees it as a gift. “It’s always good to be with my brother because he’s family and I love him,” Hyrum said. “We get to share a bond that other people on the team wouldn’t.”
The Arnetts and Monreals may approach sibling dynamics differently, but both families prove that swimming with your brother can be more than competition and can be an experience of support, growth, and connection.
