NEIGHBORHOOD SWIM TEAMS CREATE QUITE A SPLASH

You know it must be summer when you ride by a neighborhood pool and find 100 cars parked outside and 400 people surrounding the pool.  Inside the cool water one will find the neighborhood kids giving their best effort to top a rival neighborhood in the Greater Charlotte Swim League.   Thousands of kids throughout South Charlotte are busy this month with two to three swim meets a week and daily practices.

One such team would be the Southampton Hurricanes.   Located just a stones thrown from Ardrey Kell High School, the Southampton neighborhood team is coached by Eric Robinson.  Coach Robinson leads the team through a daily one hour practice to prepare for upcoming swim meets.

He has been coaching the team for a number of years and has watched the swimmers develop with each meet.
“It seems like each year we add to what we learned the year before.  You would think with so much time off between seasons we would take a few steps back but that hasn't been the case.  We pick up where we left off and are able to teach the kids new things.  Year one, we were worried mainly about stroke fundamentals.  Year two we added flip turns and starts.  This year we have been working on back stroke flip turns, advanced pull outs and relay exchanges.  It’s really a testament to how great the kids are and their desire to learn.”

One of the neatest aspects of the swim team is the fellowship created among families.

“We started this team to give the kids something to do during the summer but one of the most positive side effects is how the whole community has rallied around the swim team.  We have homeowners that volunteer that don't even have kids.  They love the fact that they can be a part of something that the kids take so much pride in.  In turn that gives them pride in their community.  Being a homeowner myself, I have forged lifelong friendships with people that I otherwise would not have met.”

Suzy Adams is the mother to one of the swimmers, Sierra Adams.  She talks about how the swim team has created a new avenue of recreation for her daughter.

“It’s weird because we have tried so many different sports with Sierra and she hated them all but finally--we might have found one that she loves!”
The purpose of the Greater Charlotte Swim League is to encourage children to swim in a friendly, nourishing, recreational environment. Each team is divided into division according to team size and ability.  An end of the summer all-star meet is held for the top swimmers.

The South Charlotte Sports Report commends all the swimmer and coaches giving their very best effort to create wonderful arena for swimming competition.