By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Blaine Tatje quantified the feeling of three years ago, when the Belle Terre Country Club swim team would take the pool to compete in a River Parish Swim League meet.

“We knew,” he said, “that we were going to lose.”

What a difference from then to now.

Now a member of the swim club’s coaching staff along with his sister Kelsey, Tatje combined with his sibling and head coach Hailey Montz to head a rebuilding project that began in earnest last season, with the Belle Terre Piranhas rebranding themselves as Piranha Swim Team, donning new uniforms and pushing a new, positive attitude each and every meet night.

The results have come quickly. In 2013, PST went just 1-5 during the summer, but saw a stark difference in its scoring margin. A surprise fourth place finish at the seven-team River Parish Swim League Invitational gave reason for more optimism.

In 2014, the Piranhas broke through, going 4-2 to finish in third place during the regular swim season, then jumping up to third at the league invitational. 

“After we finished last in the invitational (in 2012), we got together with the swim team board and tried to figure out how to turn this around,” Tatje said. “We could see our numbers going down, both overall and in invitational participation. We wanted to do something to create a fresh start and to make us stand out.”

The club pulled the trigger on team name and uniform changes in late summer of 2012. Tatje said the club saw its roster size increase by 15 going into the 2013 season. PST defeated Ellington and lost a close meet to Hill Heights, falling by just 15. 

“We were still losing, but we were much more competitive,” Tatje said. “You could see the improvement. To us, at that point, going from losing by 200 points to now less than 100, that kind of progress was a win. We stayed positive, and the atmosphere was just so much better.”

Montz said it set the table for a strong 2014.

“The end of that (2013) season really got everyone excited,” Montz said. “Everyone saw how much progress we made and wanted to see what another season could bring.”

Tatje credited Montz for bringing stability to the team on the coaching staff, the coach completing her fourth season with the team this summer. 

“I’m so proud of how far the team has come,” she said. “Our swimmers have been so dedicated. They’re there to have a good time with one another, win or lose. And when we lose, they know what it is they need to work on, and it’s exactly what they improve on for the next time.”

In 2014, the PST added 40 swimmers. Likewise, the team’s scores improved; a competitive loss to eventual regular season runner-up Sun Villa early on, Tatje said, gave him an inkling that a stronger season than expected could be in the works.

It was, indeed, the Piranhas quadrupling their win total from a year ago, including a signature win: their four-point win over rival Riverlands was the first time the club had defeated their local rival in eight seasons. 

“Seeing the excitement on the faces on our kids after a win is the most rewarding thing,” Tatje said. “It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work.”