By Breven Honda
As the summer months arrive, a new season of Manta Rays Youth Swim Team arrives both to compete or learn how to swim.
Taking place at the Mesquite Recreation Center, the Manta Rays swim team is open to ages 7-17.
Lifeguards and swimming teachers are on hand ready to teach the next generation to get in the water, no matter if they’re swimming as fast as dolphins or it will be their first time entering the pool.
“I’m pretty excited,” said Beau Garrett, who will begin his third season coaching kids. “It’s been a long time since we’ve started meeting about it and started talking about it in March. So, I’m just waiting for the end of the school year and waiting for the beginning of summer for this to start.”
For those looking to compete on one of the swimming teams, spots are $150 and for any additional sibling it is $125. The deadline to commit to the team is May 23.
However, in the meantime, kids can attend open swimming from 6:00-7:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays.
For those parents on the fringe about having their child participate on the swim team, open swims is a way to build their curiosity.
“I want them to be there to have fun and to learn,” Garrett said. “Coming to open swim is one of the best ways to know if it’s worth it for the parents and the kids, because if the parents don’t like it, if they don’t think that they can commit to it throughout the summer, that’s perfectly fine.”
Open swims not only give the kids and parents a taste of what the season will be like, but also the coaches to see where the kids are at. The Open swims are completely free of charge to those kids within the age gap, no matter the skill levels.
Once the teams have been finalized, the first practice is slated on the morning of June 1.
For the returning swimmers, one of the goals the coaches want to accomplish is focusing on form, especially when competing in a non-freestyle event.
“I think a lot of swimmers that age struggles with is learning the specific techniques of a lot of the strokes,” Garrett said. “They are able to do it, but with whether or not they they’re able to do it right or correctly. Whether it’s breaststroke or butterfly or any of the strokes really, just really refining their techniques.
“Speed can only take you so far. Technique is at least half the stroke. So, if you have your technique, then it comes down to your speed and your strength in the water.”
As the learning process commences, with the right focus and attention to detail the opportunity for improvement is there to build up to the intermediate or advanced levels.
Especially for Garrett, who participated in Manta Rays when he was younger.
“They start off, usually pretty scared to get in the water,” he said. “So at the beginning of the season, they’re a little slow. But as they go on throughout the season, whether it’s them, using the lane line left because sometimes they’re not able to swim a whole 50 yards down the back in our pool.
“For me, when I did this program, it was always awesome to know that I was able to do better each summer. So I think having that feeling and seeing that in the swimmers is pretty rewarding.”
Garrett said getting to be part of the swimming teams include the friendships continuing from the classroom to the pool.
“I think they’re pretty excited,” Garrett said. “Sometimes I see them around town. They’re just excited to be with their friends throughout the summer and open swim and get in the water and have some fun.
“Sometimes, we let them choose their lane, so they’re able to choose with their friends. We try to play games. Sometimes, we’ll use the slide, or we let them choose the workout sometimes, just to keep it more like interactive and entertaining.”
Even for those looking to compete for the first time, the kids and coaches alike will provide a welcoming experience.
“If there is a kid like that, either one of us will get in the water with them,” Garrett said. “We find that usually helps quite a lot if we get in the water with them. We still have other coaches out, lifeguarding and coaching the rest of kids.
But if one of us are able to go one-on-one with those kids, if they’re not having a good time, they’re struggling a little bit, or if they’re new, we usually try and either get in with them or we pull them over to the side and we walk up and down the side of the pool with them and work with them individually.”
