NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Edinburg High senior Brianna Salinas had a busy day on the Saturday of the 31-6A district swimming meet.
Reaching the podium in both of her relays and advancing to regionals was an exciting moment, but just the morning portion of her competition weekend.
After the meet ended at PSJA ISD Natatorium in Pharr she had to switch gears, brush up on her Italian and get her vocal cords ready for her regional choir solo to try to advance to state.
“I had two hours to leave from my swim meet to get home to shower and get dressed and makeup on and everything,” Salinas said. “I had to be there by 2:30 p.m., so it was a big rush, but while I was showering I was singing.”
Salinas switched from swim attire to a formal look and sang Italian, Baroque-era composer Giuseppe Torelli’s Tu Lo Sai, in front of judges who awarded her the top rating.
The senior, who has sang in the choir since the fifth grade, said it took time for the piece to grow on her but now is fond of the late 15th-century classic.
“It was a great Saturday, I can say that,” Salinas laughed. “They’re both things that I love and that I’ve grown up with that have shaped me into who I am today, Advancing to the next level in both is very heartwarming because that’s what I do, that’s what I love.”
When asked if she ever serenades her swimming teammates or visualizes her starts off the block, Salinas said likes to work one at a time.
“Either way, in whatever I’m doing, I’m 100 percent in competition mode,” Salinas said. “If I’m swimming, my mind is focused on a fight to drop time and if I’m singing, I forget about everything else and feel the character, meaning and dynamics of the song.”
In choir, she excelled in a solo but in the water, her top performances were in a group.
In the pool, Salinas is joined on the 200-yard medley relay team by Isabella Vega, Emily Anaya and Samantha Garza. The same quartet will compete in the 200 freestyle relay. They earned double silvers behind PSJA High and Edinburg Vela, respectively.
Anaya has an interesting back story in the water as well. Four years ago as an eighth-grader, she watched her older brother, Matthew Anaya, join the Bobcats swim team. On Saturday both siblings walked away with matching gold medals in the 50-yard freestyle.
“Oh, it’s amazing,” Emily Anaya said. “He’s the whole reason I joined swimming. I was a dancer before and I joined swimming because ‘hey why not try it?’ and it’s awesome. Now, I couldn’t imagine not joining swimming.”
Matthew Anaya is one of the team’s captains and was extremely humbled after winning his first district championship in his event.
“With coach (Oscar) Garza with me for the four years and with his support, he has pushed me along the way to accomplish any kind of goals that I set,” Matthew Anaya said. “Of course, it goes to my family as well with Emily also winning the 50 freestyle. I dedicate it all to God too. I have a very strong foundation with my religious beliefs.”
Being only a grade level apart, Matthew admitted that he butts heads with his sister but over the weekend they were able to celebrate as one. He took the 50-yard freestyle title in 24.13 seconds while Emily finished golden with a time of 27.85.
“It’s an amazing feeling honestly,” Matthew Anaya said. “I never thought that I’d have the chance to compete with my sister to become a champion.”
The Bobcats boys swimming team was crowned district champions with 128 points to Vela’s 110 points.
“It all starts with the team,” Matthew Anaya said. “That we all come to the same practices and we push each other to the limits and we understand that we all come here to work and it all pays off at the end.”
The four high schools in Edinburg don’t have the luxury of a full-time indoor pool like many of their neighboring school districts and municipalities. South Park pool, adjacent to Richard R. Flores Stadium on Palm Drive has a heated outdoor pool but Garza says it’s still an uphill battle.
“I think it just validates the kid’s hard work,” Garza said. “I think it puts things in perspective for them. It makes it a little bit easier for them to understand if they work hard it’s going to work in the long run.”
The regional swim meet begins Friday and continues Saturday at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.