The heat of summer is here, and it’s time to get into the pool.
For about 85 of Covington’s youth, they are getting into the pool not just to keep cool, but also to compete with the area’s best.
The Covington Y Piranhas have won the last three Rockdale Swim League Championships and are set to embark on another season starting Monday. Already hard at work practicing, the Covington Y swim team travels to Deer Run Monday for its first of a five-meet season before all six swim teams compete in the county meet June 29 at Johnson Park in Rockdale. The Covington Y is the only Newton County team participating, with the Brentwood Barracudas, Honey Creek Splash, Meadowbrook Marlins and the Westchester Lakes filling out the league.
“I think it’s going to be a great season,” Covington Y swim coach Erin Gorman said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Covington Y has won the last three county titles, and last year got off to its best start ever as each swimmer has improved every year and every meet under Gorman’s tutelage.
This year, she said, is no different. In the seven years she’s been coaching, Gorman has seen plenty of first-time swimmers, and part of her joy in leading the Piranhas is seeing the progression of those young athletes.
“We have a lot of kids who started last year for the first time in the summer and joined year-round teams because they really like the sport,” Gorman said. “It’s great to see them come back and to see the kids who got introduced to the sport and loved it enough to do it year-round.”
Some of the swimmers she first coached as 5- and 6-year olds enjoyed the sport enough to not only continue swimming, but to come by the Y and help coach from time to time.
“Swimming is such a fun sport and swim meets are fun for the whole family,” Gorman said. “It’s a sport where kids can really see their improvement over time and feel good about themselves.”
That is the biggest thing Gorman wants to see out of her team. Even though the Covington Y has been successful in the win column, it’s the improvements that shine brightest for the coach, a former Rockdale Swim League participant herself.
“We’re not focusing on winning, but more so focusing on kids progressing and getting better each meet,” Gorman said.
