The Hense household has a simple philosophy. The family tries to build each other up and help one another be the best they can be. This philosophy seems to be working for them.
For freshman triplets Aidan, Bennett and Christian Hense, Wednesday’s swim meet will be their first testament to the family’s philosophy in a high school swim setting: build each other up. After time trials, the triplets are already within five seconds of the state cutoff in their various 100 meter events and, according to swim coach Wiley Wright, will be heavy contributors to the team at both league and state.
“We’ve never had[freshman swimmers] in those numbers,” said Coach Wright. “We usually have one or two coming in but not a set of three that are that good. All three of them are pretty talented.”
Although some sibling’s connections may be ripped apart by the constant competition between them, the Hense siblings have grown closer because of swimming. Their bond has been strengthened from the sport, according to Bennett. They practice with each other, cheer for each other at meets, and congratulate one another after races.
“I think it strengthens the bond we have as brothers because we have been swimming with each other for so long that it feels like a part of us,” said Christian Hense.
Their mother Jennifer Hense also believes that swimming has deepened their bonds as siblings.
“I feel like they help motivate each other,” said Jennifer. “We try to have the philosophy that we build each other up in our family and help each other be the best person that they can possibly be. Even though being triplets makes them have a unique gift we still try to look at them as individuals. They automatically have two other people in their same situation that help build them up and do their best. It’s just been kind of a blessing to have someone always there building you up and helping to motivate you to move forward.”
Varsity swimmers Aidan, Bennett and Christian have been active in the sport since the age of four.
“When I was younger I would look through some of my dad’s old trophies and I was like ‘wow I can’t believe he was really good’, and so I wanted to pursue that sport,” Christian said. “All of my older siblings took swim lessons and swam for Meadowbrook, and I just thought that was really cool and so we all [the triplets] wanted to learn how to swim. That sort of got us started.”
The Hense triplets started out in swim lessons and gradually moved to a more competitive level, swimming seasonally for Meadowbrook Country Club, Indian Hills Country Club and Swim Academy— a year round swim program designed to prepare students for their high school season and help them improve their ability.
Over the years, the triplets have won distinguished awards such as High Point— an award given to the swimmer scoring the most points throughout the season— at both county clubs they’ve swam at. Bennett had previously taken High Point at Meadowbrook Country Club, but this year Christian took the award at Indian Hills.
“I was proud of him,” said Bennett. “I actually wasn’t disappointed at all. I was happy for him.”
This past year Aidan, Bennett and Christian were faced with the difficult decision of where to attend high school in the fall, according to Christian. Their decision was between Rockhurst High School and East. Their two older brothers and father had previously attended Rockhurst High School but their mother attended East. Both Rockhurst’s and East’s swim coaches and teams were interested in the triplets but the school itself, and members of the East’s swim teams helped determined their final decision.
“After we shadowed[East] we went to a swim meet just to watch,” Aidan Hense said. “We started talking to all the older guys [on the team] and so we went to Waldo Pizza with them and then they took us out for ice cream. We saw how everyone was closely bonded and we really liked that.”
The bond that they felt last year with the team has carried over into this season, as well. The triplets have grown close with their teammates, according to Aidan. The Hense triplets have started practicing with East’s swim team for the upcoming season. They practice six days a week for at least three hours. Aidan, Bennett and Christian hope that the days and hours of practice will pay off, as their goal is to go to state this year.
“We all want to contribute to the team and score as many points as we can,” said Aidan. “It would be really cool if we all made it to state. Our family and friends would be really happy and proud because we worked so hard to get it.”
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