By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

Goffstown High School senior Jessica Drolette, seen here at a state meet at the University of New Hampshire, started her freshman year as the only member of the team. She worked to recruit more athletes each year. Drolette, who.ll attend Fordham University on a partial swimming scholarship, leaves GHS with a thriving, young team. (Marc Thaler Photo)

GOFFSTOWN - Jessica Drolette represents a unique instance where it is acceptable to spell "team" with a specific vowel associated with individuals. Four years ago, as a freshman at Goffstown High School, Drolette was far more than a member of the Grizzlies swim team.

Four years ago, she was the Grizzlies swim team.

"I never thought (the swim program) was gonna be what it is," said Drolette, now in the final weeks of her senior year at GHS. "I just wanted three other girls so we could have a relay team at states. I never thought we'd have two (relay teams) at states - one being a men's team."

An avid swimmer since the age of 5, Drolette said she always looked forward to her high school days when she could compete for the school's swim squad. But when she walked through the high school's doors as a ninth-grader, a swim team didn't exist.

But the lack of an organized GHS swim team didn't stop this ambitious athlete from representing her school.

In her freshman year, as a oneperson team, Drolette attended four meets and the state competition. Opponents were equally surprised and impressed, she remembered.

"They'd say, 'Wow, you're kind of brave coming alone,'" Drolette said. "But I wouldn't say it was a case of being brave. I just looked at it as something I had to do because I had no one else to go with."

That soon changed, however. The following year, Drolette took her case to the athletics director, asking for permission to start a team.

The sophomore was told if she could find a coach, she'd be on her way. Like any loving daughter, she volunteered her father.

Thinking about that act still makes her laugh nearly three years later.

On the other hand, thinking about how the swim team had eight times as many athletes in its second year still gives Drolette chills.

Determined to increase numbers, Drolette posted flyers throughout the school, had announcements read over the intercom and recruited classmates. More than eight people showed up to participate, but some individuals dropped out when they saw competitive swimming was harder than it looked, she said.

While Drolette swims between 6,000 and 7,000 yards every day, many of her less experienced teammates swam between 2,000 and 3,000 yards, she said, which was still quite an accomplishment. "It's comparable to running between two and three miles," she said.

In time, her teammates. ability to swim greater distances wasn't the only number to increase. In Drolette's junior year, the team added three more swimmers before taking on six more athletes for the '05 season, bringing the total to 17.

"First of all, we got a bus this year," she said when speaking about how times have changed. "That's pretty cool. We used to have to find rides or drive ourselves. And we're in the (athletics) budget now."

As the program has grown, Drolette said she's filled the role of mentor to several younger swimmers who, for the first time, are competing against athletes from larger programs.

Drolette said GHS took its lumps against larger schools, but fared well when facing teams of comparable numbers.

"The more people you have on a swim team, the more points you're gonna get. It's as simple as that," she said. "Going against a school like Londonderry that has 75 kids was tough."

Nonetheless, this young lady isn't afraid of a challenge. And her next test will come against the next tier of swimming competition. This fall, Drolette will swim for Fordham University in New York, where she earned a partial scholarship.

And four years from now, what does Drolette foresee for GHS swimming when she visits home upon graduating from Fordham?

"I think I know what I.ll see," she said. "I know I'll see 15 boys and 20 girls (on the team) - easily. I see my dad still coaching. And I see Goffstown having a winning record and placing well at states in the relay."

Led by Drolette - the lone senior on the 2005 GHS swim team - the Grizzlies include juniors Kristopher Cere, Theresa Comeau and Katie Gallagher; sophomores Tom Baker, Nick Catano, Tobin Desfosses, Pat Dobens, Lauren Gifford and Ryan Sheppard; and freshmen Katelyn Comeau, Brenna Gailinas, Madeline Hunt, Nicolle Jones, Sarah Nahodil, Trey Wittenberg and Marissa Yeager.

"I wouldn't say (my teammates) look at me in a special light," Drolette said. "But I think they know if I hadn't come to school here, this probably doesn't get started."