Ridley Area YMCA swim team competes at Long Course Championships
SPRINGFIELD, Pa. — Congratulations to the boys and girls from Springfield that swam for the Ridley Area YMCA Swim team this July at the YMCA Long Course Championships in Greensboro, NC. The Ridley YMCA is a branch of the Community YMCA of Eastern Delaware County (CYEDC) that has branches in Springfield, Ridley and Lansdowne. The swimmers should be very proud of all the hard work they put into their sport and for their participation in and accomplishments at this event. In fact, this group of swimmers had some of the best times and finishes in team history.
The Ridley Area YMCA Rays is made up of kids from across the county and is a year-round program that strives to improve technique and speed in order to compete at the highest level. The long course meets (50 meters) are significant because it’s the only time swimmers can qualify for the Olympic trials. Most local swim clubs and even colleges compete on a short course, which measures 25 yards.
Roughly 25% of the Ridley Area YMCA swim team is made up of Springfield residents. A couple of those swimmers, Jake Kennedy and Ben Kutufaris, qualified for the USA Swimming Winter Juniors competition. Jake Kennedy, Ben Kutufaris, Alex Chan, Tristan Ronayne and Mary Kubiak all have times that qualify them for the YMCA National competition next March.
Shane Eckler, Jonathon Hoole, Jake Kennedy and Ben Kutufaris took 2nd place in the boys 200 free relay, marking the highest-placing relay at a YMCA National Championship.
Erik Nelson, head coach for the Ridley Area YMCA Swim Team, said, “It has been fun to watch this group of swimmers grow up together. A lot of them have been swimming together since they were 8 or 9 years old, and to see them achieve what they are achieving today has been fun to watch. I can’t wait to see what the next 12 months have to bring.”
I am sure everyone in Springfield would join me in wishing them the best of luck in the coming year and know, if they continue to put the time in, good things will happen.
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