Y Talk: An Exciting Time for Competitive Swimming by Tara Young

With the Olympic Trials on TV last week and the Olympics approaching, this time every four years always gets swimmers excited about their sport. The buzz around practice for the team I coach at the Carlisle Swim Club has been, “Did you see this or that event?” or about how Michael Phelps made his fifth Olympics. I remember watching Janet Evans and wanted to be just like her when I was an age group swimmer.

This year the meet was even more exciting because five swimmers from our area competed at the Olympic Trials and one of them made it to Rio. The older swimmers on our team have watched and/or competed against them at several of the big meets in our region. This gives the meet a little more meaning to those who know the York or Hershey swimmers. All eyes will be on Hali Flickinger (pictured above) when she swims the 200-meter butterfly in Rio next month.

Even though none of our swimmers were there, I can still sense the excitement in the air. Practices have become more focused because goals seem more attainable. After doing drills of all the strokes with my 10 and under group, I asked who was watching the meet and everyone cheered and raised their hands. The enthusiasm is contagious. I love coming in each day.

A LIFE SKILL EVERYONE SHOULD LEARN

Swimming always has been a huge part of my life. My mother does not know how to swim so at an early age she made sure my sisters and I all knew this important life skill. I didn’t know at the time how much that one decision by my mom would shape my life. I love swimming and everything about the pool.

My sisters and I started out taking lessons at the YMCA and eventually I asked to be on the swim team. My happiest memories are ones of the swim team and swim meets. Nothing has changed 30-plus years later. On Monday we celebrated the Fourth of July with firecracker relays, and in the winter we play reindeer games. Everyone looks forward to these fun breaks in our normal practice routine.

Twenty-five years of teaching lessons and coaching swim team and every day is something different.

I continued the legacy my mom started. All four of my own children swim. Although it isn’t their favorite sport, they understand the conditioning swimming gives them to perform better in the other sports in which they compete.

Many life lessons are learned through all sports, but swimming is such an important life skill I think everyone should have the chance to learn. The sense of accomplishment you have when you float for the first time or get the time you wanted in a big race is unbelievable. And the friendships and memories you make in the process last a lifetime.

If you haven’t before, consider adding pool workouts to your normal routine. If you aren’t comfortable in the water, sign up for group or private swim lessons. I promise that you won’t regret it!

I hope to see you in the pool!

-by Tara Young, Aquatics Director​