Waukee Rays Swim Team Enjoys Continued Success
Beginning in 2003, the Waukee Rays swim team has been offering a year-round swimming program with expert coaching and state championship results.
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The Waukee Rays swim team has blossomed in its nine years from a fledgling program in a tiny pool to a state champion team that grooms varsity athletes.
In 2003 the Rays' inaugural season was spent at the old Waukee YMCA's tiny pool. Just last March, after training all season at the new YMCA facilities, the boys' and girls' teams were both champions at the Iowa YMCA State Meet, out of 31 teams.
Shelley Twigg, the Waukee girls' head swim varsity coach, is also the Waukee YMCA head swim coach. She says the Rays program is a great tool for grooming the younger generation for a bright future with the Warriors.
Of the 170 kids currently enrolled in the program, 30 of them swim in the 8-and-under division.
"I think it's awesome to have all these younger kids," said Twigg. "That's kind of your starting point for a feeder program. You want those little ones to come and enjoy your program so that they stick with you all the way through high school."
Twigg admits that state championships and other regional and national accolades are important goals for her and her swimmers. But just like any other instructor of children, she wants more than just trophys to come out of the Ray's experience.
"I want them to learn life lessons through swimming, that's one of my main goals," said Twigg. "I want to teach them responsibility and dedication to a team, and once you start something, you finish it. I want to instill all those things that will help theses young people as they get older and go through life."
Another goal for the coach is getting some swimmers to compete at a national level.
"We haven't had any national qualifiers yet since we started the program, but that's definitely one of our goals, is to start building our kids so we can compete on a national level," said Twigg.
A key component to success is coaching, and Twigg says she has staffed a very experienced and committed group of coaches.
"We offer a lot of really good, passionate coaching," said Twigg. "All of my assistant coaches have a background in high levels of swimming, and are passionate about kids and the sport. So that helps to keep the kids here and it definitely helps them get better."
If you'd like to learn more about the Waukee Rays swim team, you can visit their Web site at www.waukeeymcarays.org.
