SARC introduces youth swim club

Published 3:07 pm Friday, March 21, 2014

by Ryan Hueter

For the Sequim Gazette

When the SARC board of directors asked Taylor McDonald, the first-year director of the Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center, if she felt comfortable starting a swim program for youth, she responded with a confident, “Yes.”

Though in her first month at SARC, McDonald previously was the director at a multi-sport aquatic facility, where she worked closely with a program similar to the one she now is spearheading. The program is intended to create a recreational   swimming outlet for children between the ages of 5-13 to become comfortable with the sport.

McDonald said her goals for the club are to “teach the biomechanics of the sport, teach the recreational aspect of swimming and teach kids how to be good athletes.”

The original registration date has passed, but McDonald said they still are accepting applications.

The club is scheduled to meet Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays beginning June 27 and concluding on Aug. 19. Enrollment in the program requires a $100 fee for members of SARC and a $150 fee for nonmembers.

The purpose of the program is to bridge the gap between toddler swimming activities and the Sequim High School swim team.

“Right now, we are going for the recreational feel,” McDonald said. “In Port Angeles, there is a very good competitive program. We’re not trying to compete with them. We’re trying to complement them.”

This is the first youth swimming venture operated solely by SARC, McDonald said. Previously, there was a similar program, but it was run through the Boys & Girls Club.

For more information, visit www.sarcfitness.com/swimteam.