Small athletes in a big pool

Laurie Wittich takes multi-tasking to new heights as she directs activities at the YMCA’s fitness center and pool.

This spring she’s spending Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons helping 31 eager young swimmers improve their skills. The group includes all ages and abilities, kindergarten to eighth grade.

“Last year we just decided that the YMCA wanted to introduce what it’s like to be on a swim team,” Wittich said during a recent practice while supervising her swimmers and fielding interview questions.

“If you didn’t take a shower, take a shower,” she booms with a voice that easily carries to the far end of the pool. “Then get your equipment and slide into your lane.”

To qualify for the mini swim team, participants must demonstrate their ability to swim one length of the pool.

“That’s 25 yards whatever way they need to do it,” she said.

And there is a $25 fee for members and $50 fee for nonmembers. Otherwise participants need only arrive in a swimsuit carrying a pair of goggles. Many also choose to wear swim caps to protect their hair from the chlorine content of the pool water and to keep it out of their faces.

“We encourage them to drink water — they do get dehydrated,” Wittich said.

The swimmers alternate their activities between the pool where the water temperature ranges between 82 and 85 degrees and the deck where the temperature is set at about 90 degrees to ensure proper air flow in the building. Parents and siblings swelter on the sidelines while watching the sessions.

The youngest member of this year’s group is Maya Smith, who at age 6 is in her second year of the program.

“She’s a little fish and she’s been a fish since she was 2 or 3,” Wittich said.

That’s also true of second-grader Riana Scott who celebrated her 8th birthday during a recent workout. Her cousin, Jayme Ramos, who is just 9 months older, also is part of the group.

Riana’s mom, Noel Scott, said her daughter started swimming as a 2-year-old.

“She had no fear of the water and that scared us,” she said. “She couldn’t swim, but she thought she could.”

Noel has seen her daughter learn new strokes and gain stamina through the YMCA swim programs.

“Swimming with older kids helps them improve their skills,” she said.

The young swimmers maintain a steady pace as they follow Wittich’s instructions to complete drills as they warm up. During a recent session they first traveled the length of the pool and back using a kickboard propelled by their legs. For the next 50 yards they were required to pull through the water with only their arms while squeezing a buoy between their legs. They finished up with a 50-yard swim down and back.

And as the afternoon continued there was little time spent out of the water and little time to catch a breath.

The training, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. three days a week, helps keep the young people moving during a lull between the end of the Y’s youth basketball program and the start of the club swim team season, which begins after spring break.

Eight-year-old Logan Kelso enjoyed every breathless minute of the session as he moved from the pool to the deck for “star jumps” that took the swimmers down to the floor and back to standing with a jump.

“It’s really fun because you get to swim a lot and that’s my favorite sport,” he said before sliding back into the pool to complete another 25-yard exercise in the water.

Nicole Parsons, 10, said she’s “not sure” how much she enjoys the exertion required in the workouts, but she added, “it’s fun to get wet and play and everything.”

She demonstrated that she’s clearly not fainthearted, however, as she prepared for a drill that required her to hop 25 yards through the water with her hands overhead and arms tucked behind her ears.

“The bunny hops are pretty fun,” she said.

Nicole’s older brother, Dakota Parsons, 13, took a break from one session to instead catch up on his seventh-grade homework assignments. He isn’t quite as enthused about the program as is his sister.

His mom, Danielle Parsons, said she signed her children up for swimming to help condition them for the spring baseball and softball programs where both have served their teams as pitchers

“It’s over just as baseball begins,” Danielle said of the mini swim team training. “We’re trying to prevent shoulder injuries.”

The Parsons siblings’ younger brother, Garrett, isn’t discouraged by Dakota’s preference for baseball over swimming.

“He knows what he wants,” his mom said, adding that 8-year-old Garrett isn’t quite ready for the swim team experience this time around. “He’s looking forward to next year.”

At the end of the five-week session, the swimmers’ payoff will be a mock competition, complete with starting blocks, whistles and lights, Wittich said.

As the meet date approaches, the swimmers have been drilling on the four competitive strokes: the front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke and butterfly. Next week there will be more emphasis on turns and starts and how to avoid being disqualified in the competition, Wittich said.

The swim meet is scheduled from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 19 at the pool, 580 Baker St.