YMCA Spartaquatics Swim Club advances to national competition
SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. — As anyone in the upstate of South Carolina knows, competitive swimming is a big deal around here! It is common for many preschool-aged kids to start swimming as “guppies” on their neighborhood swim teams. Some of those kids will continue summer swim team through high school, and quite a few will decide to swim competitively year-round.
Many of our area’s year-round swimmers train at YMCA Spartaquatics Swim Club (YSSC). The “Sea Cukes” have a long-standing tradition of excellence, and the club is one of the largest competitive swimming operations in South Carolina. YSSC has twice been awarded the Gold Medal in USA Swimming Club’s Excellence program and currently holds silver medal status.
The club held the 19th YSSC Annual Firecracker Invitational June 23-26 at their training facility, the Prisma Aquatics Center at the Middle Tyger YMCA in Duncan. The event was a qualifier for the Long Course National Meet in Greensboro, NC, held July 18-23.
The Sea Cukes are proud to send 46 of their swimmers, 23 boys and 23 girls, to the National meet! This will be a memorable experience for these swimmers and their coaches, and a great chance to showcase their talent and hard work.
Of the 46 swimmers representing YSSC, six of those swimmers are in the 14&Under category, which is an admirable accomplishment for their age.
Before heading to nationals, the three boys and three girls in the 14&Under category will also be representing YSSC at the South Carolina Swimming State Championship in North Charleston, SC, July 14-17. They will be defending their State Title as a team from the Short Course Season. The three boys, Wade Chandgie, Maddex Ternes, and Jimmy Beeson, are expected to be part of the Sea Cukes’ team relays. In some of those relay events, they have a fair chance of breaking South Carolina State Records. Maddex has already set a new team record in the 100M Freestyle event, previously set in 2012 by Nathan Delahunty.
Swim coaches frequently tell their swimmers not to let the activity in other lanes distract them. They remind them that their race is not against the other swimmers. They’re racing against the clock and against their own previous times.
Much of the Sea Cukes’ success lies in finding the delicate balance between a competitive nature and a supportive team.
“The team spirit, sportsmanship, and amount of support these kids had for each other this weekend (of the Firecracker Tournament) were awesome to see. I am so proud of all of them,” said Kelly Chandgie, mom of swimmer Wade Chandgie.
“This is just a GREAT GROUP of young athletes,” says coach Eduardo Dos Santos. “They always make their presence known during championships. We receive lots of recognition for their performances in the water and for their behavior and attitude out of the water. Coaches from other teams, including colleges, always come talk to me and the other coaches on our staff about how great our swimmers are. Leadership and sportsmanship are definitely a huge part of the culture at YSSC.”
Best of luck to the Sea Cukes! We know you’ll make us proud. You already have!
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