The
International Swim Team has a long and proud history dating back to1967. The
competitive swim program at St. Mary's became a regular school sport in the
1967-1968 school year. Before that time, there was a small, unofficial swim team
which practiced at a Japanese pool. However, in 1967a brand new 25 meter
swimming pool opened its door at the downtown campus of St. Mary's. The 1968
winter season saw the International "Torpedoes" under coach Yukinari
Negoro fully participate in the American Swim Council in Japan for the first
time. Now there was only one thing missing- girls! In 1969, girls from ISSH and
Seisen joined the team to grace the pool with their presence.
During the
1971-1972 school year, St. Mary's moved from its downtown campus to its present
location in Kaminoge. In 1974, under new coach Kiyoshi Okada, the International
team won the winter championship for the first time. The American Swim Council
in Japan's Championships had been dominated by ASIJ from 1964-1973. In 1976
International dropped the "Torpedoes" name and called themselves the
"Flying Fish." The next several years saw tight competition for the
ASIJ championships between International, ASIJ, Zama, and the Zukeran Sharks of
Okinawa. Yoshiharu Endo started as a coach with International in 1974 and
continues to produce talented youngsters.
In 1980,
International changed its name again from the "Flying Fish," to its
present name the "Buccaneers." Chris Xavier took over the coaching
responsibilities in 1980. The Buccaneers continued to grow and narrowly win the
league championships over ASIJ in the early 80's. Towards the end of the decade,
the Bucs began to win the ASIJ championships by a wider margin.
Upon the
completion of the winter season, many International swimmers would join the U.S.
Embassy, or the TAC Swim Team for the ASCJ summer season. Jenny Ireland, an
International assistant coach, 1985-1990, helped improve the Buccaneers program
by keeping more swimmers in the water throughout the year. In the mid 1980's,
International started to send a few swimmers to the annual Hong Kong Mantas
Invitational Swim Meet in May.
In 1990,
David Moodie became the head coach for International. The Buccaneers began to
send a larger team to the Mantas meet. In the summer of 1991,the U.S. Embassy
pool was no longer available to swim in; therefore, the Buccaneers began to swim
out of St. Mary's pool year-round. The next few years saw International
attending more Japanese swim meets as well as the ASCJ sponsored competitions.
With a larger team, different levels of competition became a necessity.
Recently, the
Buccaneers have started to have swimmers qualify for Japan's prestigious Age
Group National Championships. In 1993, the Buccaneers began to attend the Aulea
International Invitational Swim Meet, in Kailua, Hawaii. Many swimmers and
families enjoy this meet over the Christmas holiday. The Buccaneers are proud of
their accomplishments, and are looking forward to enhancing their rich history.