YDSC Gators show their skills at Illinois YMCA State Swimming Championship
DECATUR, Ill. — The YDSC Gators Swim Team is open for kids ages 5 through 21 and focuses on improving swimmers’ skills in a way that is both fun and competitive. Earlier this month, the team competed at the Illinois State Championship swim meet, which is the largest and most competitive YMCA swim meets in Illinois.
Coach Lauren Nesbitt says “we had 32 swimmers who qualified to be on our state team roster (45% of our total team). The swimmers achieved 36 podium finishes, meaning 36 times we had a swimmer place within the top 10 in the entire state in their event, plus we had a state champion in two events!” Coach Nesbitt’s team also swam 49 lifetime best times during the meet and broke 8 team records. YDSC also placed within the top 3 teams in the state for the Boys 10 and Under category. She says “As a team, we were placed in the large team division for scoring, which we were not expecting, but we are so proud of the effort given by the swimmers to stay competitive with the other teams in our category who were 2-3 times our size in numbers!”
The Gators Swim Team trained hard since their season started in September to achieve personal and team goals at the state meet. Coach Nesbitt explains, “to attend the Illinois State Championship, swimmers first have to qualify by achieving qualifying time standards in their races at dual, tri, and invitational meets over the course of the season. Once qualified, the focus shifts to repairing to bring their best racing of the season during their events at the state championship.” The swimmers represented Decatur well! The Gators have had a momentous season, including at the Illini District Championship meet, where they took a roster of 45 qualified swimmers and brought home 5 team trophies.
Coach Lauren Nesbitt says “Beyond any physical accomplishment they could ever achieve, we are most proud of the difference we are able to make in their lives that last long beyond their competitive years in the pool. My passion lies in making a difference in the lives of youth through swimming.” She clearly is passionate about not only swimming, but also the young swimmers she coaches. She says “These swimmers are amazing athletes, but they are even better young people, and it is a privilege to coach them.”
The Gators are always accepting new swimmers. To find out more about joining the team, contact Coach Nesbitt at [email protected].
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