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Health & Fitness

Dynamic Duo of Hightstown Brothers Powers the Swimming Team to Victory

Brothers Scott & Steven Vitable have single-handedly raised the bar for Hightstown swimming.

Two brothers have combined to give one of the most dynamic duos it has ever seen. Brothers Scott and Steven Vitable have powered Hightstown’s swimming program to victory. Having started swimming competitively since the age of 9, Scott has sacrificed many things along the way to becoming Hightstown’s #1 swimmer. Although a baseball player from a young age as well, Scott broke his wrist and never returned to the sport. Later on, he picked up on soccer and made the freshman soccer team at Hightstown. However, he left this sport as well to focus all his energy on swimming as it was his strong suit, athletically.

Steven Vitable, however, is nothing to scoff at either. Steven is a tri-sport athlete, unlike his brother, but not in the traditional sense. Being Hightstown’s #2 swimmer, Vitable is also a member of Hightstown’s varsity cross country and track teams. Additionally, he also participates in something many teens his age only watch on TV – triathlons. “The triathlon is a very difficult sport both physically and mentally but I love every part of it. I am pretty much training 24/7 for all 3 sports so it is a very difficult challenge." However, many of these hurdles in the road to the brothers’ successes have been cleared as a result of the training they have received from the heralded . Peddie is renowned for their superior swimming program, which has drawn questions from the Hightstown student body as to why the Vitables don’t go to school at Peddie. To this they have responded, “We didn’t attend Peddie because we wanted to have money for college.”

Although Peddie may not be on the list for the future, swimming still is. Scott dreams of swimming at a fine college in his later years and Steven wishes to continue swimming as it helps his triathlon times. He believes that very soon he will be able to complete an ironman triathlon in college. However, all this commitment has not come without consequences. As with all other determined athletes, their sport of choice — swimming — has become extremely exhausting and has turned into a love/hate relationship.

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As with all athletes the Vitables have had their pre-game rituals. Steven attempts to focus on other things pre-race and blasts Lil Wayne to get ready. Little Vitable however, hums “Enter Sandman” in his head as he loosens up. However, throughout all these times their biggest motivation has always come from their parents. Being one of the fastest duos in the county didn’t hurt either. It hasn’t always been smiles and giggles, though. Steven’s biggest athletic disappointment came in a cross country state meet when he finished poorly. For Scott, it was when he swam a 1-minute in the 100 freestyle event, when he would usually swim in the low 50’s. This hasn’t discouraged them, though, as they want to compete with the top swimmers in the county. Being one of the top swimmers the school has ever seen isn’t a shabby start.

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