Swimming: Exchange students enjoying their time in the pool
EXETER — Yes, there are lakes and swimming pools in dry and cold Mongolia. And even a swimming pool or two in the high and dry plains of Madrid, Spain.
Just ask Batmunkh and Inigo Barron who find themselves swimming for the Exeter High School swimming team this season.
Batmunkh is an exchange student from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Batmunkh is his one and only name, but he's called "Baagi" by his Exeter teammates and friends.
"It's easier for them," says the 16-year-old sophomore from Oyunii Melmee High School.
Barron is an exchange student from Madrid, Spain and a junior at Marista High School. Perhaps better known for his play on Exeter's soccer field this past fall, he also enjoys swimming for the Blue Hawks.
Both were close to qualifying for the state meet, Baagi in the breaststroke and freestyle, Barron in the freestyle sprints.
Baagi finds himself swimming six days a week nowadays, not only for the high school, but for the Exeter Swim Team club as well.
"Swimming is a tough sport, but I'm catching onto it," says Baagi.
"He's done amazingly well," says Exeter High and EST coach Greig Cronauer. "He's blessed with a feel for the water."
Barron, meanwhile, is a "tall kid (6-feet-1) and just really strong in the water," says Cronauer, noting Barron is "still refining his strokes."
Baagi says his favorite sport in Mongolia was Mongolian wrestling, which is probably the country's biggest sport.
As for the ocean?
"Not so close," laughs Baagi, noting Ulaanbaatar lies between China and Russia and it's cold and dry.
It's the coldest national capital in the world with a monsoon-influenced, cold semi-arid climate that closely borders a subartic climate, according to Wikipedia. The city features brief, warm summers and long, bitterly cold and dry winters.
There's a strong possibility that "Baagi" might return to the United States after heading back to Mongolia in June.
"I might come back for college," says Baagi.
Soccer will always be Barron's favorite sport, but swimming, too, has always been a love, and he, like Baagi, enjoy being part of the team.
It's a great group, says Barron, who would like to become a journalist or architect one of these days. Both of his parents are journalists.
Just ask Batmunkh and Inigo Barron who find themselves swimming for the Exeter High School swimming team this season.
Batmunkh is an exchange student from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Batmunkh is his one and only name, but he's called "Baagi" by his Exeter teammates and friends.
"It's easier for them," says the 16-year-old sophomore from Oyunii Melmee High School.
Barron is an exchange student from Madrid, Spain and a junior at Marista High School. Perhaps better known for his play on Exeter's soccer field this past fall, he also enjoys swimming for the Blue Hawks.
Both were close to qualifying for the state meet, Baagi in the breaststroke and freestyle, Barron in the freestyle sprints.
Baagi finds himself swimming six days a week nowadays, not only for the high school, but for the Exeter Swim Team club as well.
"Swimming is a tough sport, but I'm catching onto it," says Baagi.
"He's done amazingly well," says Exeter High and EST coach Greig Cronauer. "He's blessed with a feel for the water."
Barron, meanwhile, is a "tall kid (6-feet-1) and just really strong in the water," says Cronauer, noting Barron is "still refining his strokes."
Baagi says his favorite sport in Mongolia was Mongolian wrestling, which is probably the country's biggest sport.
As for the ocean?
"Not so close," laughs Baagi, noting Ulaanbaatar lies between China and Russia and it's cold and dry.
It's the coldest national capital in the world with a monsoon-influenced, cold semi-arid climate that closely borders a subartic climate, according to Wikipedia. The city features brief, warm summers and long, bitterly cold and dry winters.
There's a strong possibility that "Baagi" might return to the United States after heading back to Mongolia in June.
"I might come back for college," says Baagi.
Soccer will always be Barron's favorite sport, but swimming, too, has always been a love, and he, like Baagi, enjoy being part of the team.
It's a great group, says Barron, who would like to become a journalist or architect one of these days. Both of his parents are journalists.
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