Lake Co. YMCA Swim Team wins 2nd at conference

The Lake County Family YMCA Central Lake swim team has accomplished a first by placing second in the Northern Illinois Swim Conference.

The Turtles came in second in division C at the Arlington Heights event July 27.

“This season we set a goal. We really wanted to get first, of course, but to see our swimmers drop time and improve is fantastic,” said Director of Competitive Swimming Maureen Rancourt.

The summer swimming season is just six weeks – unlike the winter season that is six months – so there is a lot of work to do in a condensed schedule.

“It's all about working together as a team in the summer. We promote team bonding,” Rancourt said. The older kids each get a swim buddy and help the younger ones by getting them to their starting blocks and helping coach them how to avoid being disqualified, for example.

And teamwork came into play toward the end of the conference meet last week. The 9- and 10-year-old girls' 200-meter freestyle relay won first place by less than one-half a second. Swimmers were Madelyn Goodman (Lindenhurst), Samantha Michals (Libertyville), Hailey Richard (Grayslake) and Lauren Roth (Libertyville).

“Our relays performed – first and second – throughout the event, and it's great to have our team get noticed and recognized,” the coach added.

“We do generally have great technique. If you don't have the right technique, you'll get disqualified no matter how fast you're going,” Rancourt explained.

The 42-member team, whose members range from 6 to 18 years, is doing stroke clinics now and will resume its fall season Aug. 29.

The YMCA swim program is well-rounded in that it also includes fundraising, volunteering and social responsibility development.

For more information about YMCA swimming, contact Rancourt at (847) 367-6797 or mrancourt@ymcalakecounty.org

The Lake County Family YMCA is offering a special summer promotion that includes zero joiner fees. Fall registration begins Aug. 15.

The Lake County Family YMCA is a cause-driven nonprofit that strengthens the community through programs and services that foster youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Founded in 1892 as a 501 (C) 3 nonprofit, our association is comprised of the Central Lake YMCA in Vernon Hills, Northern Lake YMCA in Waukegan and Early Head Start in Waukegan.