PICKENS COUNTY — The Pickens County YMCA Piranhas Swim Team got its competitive juices flowing recently at a home swim meet at the Pickens YMCA and at an away meet at the Anderson YMCA.
“I am very proud of all the swimmers,” said Larry McMahan, head coach of the Pickens County Piranhas Swim Team. “These swimmers have been working hard since the start of the summer season in early April and swam very well at both the Pickens and Anderson meets.”
Lindsey McKeever, of Easley, also helps coach the team.
In all, Pickens took 26 swimmers to the Anderson meet and almost all swimmers improved times, the coaches said. Some of the biggest improvements were Isaac Haines, who took 26.43 seconds off his 200 freestyle; Caden Knorr, who took 35.96 seconds off his 100 freestyle; Victoria Nix, who took off the most, with a 96.51-second drop off her 200 freestyle; Rebekah Ramey, who took 28.54 seconds off her 200 freestyle; and Molly Sanders, who took 37.13 seconds off her 200 freestyle.
Pickens also welcomed a new swimmer at the Anderson meet with the joining of 16-year-old Kaleb Akers.
For the Pickens meet, swimmers continued to drop time.
Will Blakely took 10.62 seconds off his 100 freestyle; Morgan Couch took 27.49 seconds off her 200 freestyle; Lucas Goodacre took 19.62 seconds off his 50 breaststroke; Blake Nix took 17.20 seconds off his 100 freestyle and 12.39 seconds off his 200 freestyle; Katelynn Phelps took 11.37 seconds off her 100 individual medley (IM); and Ashley Reis took 22.11 seconds off her 200 freestyle.
Pickens welcomed two new swimmers at the Pickens meet: Nathan Shuttleworth and Sophia Shuttleworth.
“So far for this summer season, the Pickens Swim Team is doing very well,” McMahan said. “As long as swimmers continue to drop time off their events, the coaches are doing their job and helping the swimmers do theirs. The coaches train the swimmers, but the swimmers have to actually take what we teach them and put it in motion to cut that time.”
The Pickens swim meet was held May 19 and included teams from Greenwood, Newberry and Augusta, Ga., YMCAs. The Anderson meet was held May 12.
The Pickens County YMCA Piranhas, which practices Monday-Friday in the afternoon, accepts new swimmers all season long, no matter the level of their swimming ability. Interested swimmers may try a week for free, and beginner swimmers are welcomed. For more information, call the YMCA of Easley, Pickens and Powdersville at (864) 878-3436 or visit www.pcymca.net/swimteam.php.
The Pickens County YMCA Swim Team is a member of the Carolina YMCA Swim League (CYSL).
The purpose of CYSL competitive swimming is to provide young boys and girls an opportunity to participate in competitive swimming in a Christian environment, under conditions that will foster skillful aquatic ability, good fellowship, team association loyalty, a finer appreciation of swimming for its own sake and not just for winning; and sportsmanship on the part of swimmers and spectators, they said.
