Community Corner
Memorial Day Kicks Off Swim Team Season
Lake Ridge area community swim teams begin practices, seek additional members.
With the opening of the pools on Memorial Day weekend, the summer swim team season kicks off again. Don’t think about lazy days soaking in the sun. These Lake Ridge kids are hard at work after school and up early each summer day to prepare to compete in various strokes.
When asked what has brought her back each summer since she was seven, swim coach Anna Kelly said, “It makes getting up early really fun, because I can see friends, and get an early start on my day.”
One would think it was about the glory and the accolades, but over and over again, Ridgewood Barracuda parents, swimmers and coaches said the same thing. The most important thing about swim team is the sense of community.
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Barracudas’ Head Coach, Cindy Woll, said “The Barracuda swim team is important to our community for many reasons, but mostly because it brings at least 150 families together every summer to work closely with each other in order to make our team function.” Social gatherings like pool parties and potlucks help build that sense of community.
Mark Hannan, a junior at Woodbridge High School, is one of the swimmer coaches. He also loves the community amongst team members. As a coach, Hannan “enjoys seeing the younger kids improve over the summer and building those relationships.”
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When asked, “Why swim?”, Woll said, “Swimming on a team has many benefits. It promotes team work, a healthy lifestyle, and helps develop motivated young people. Finally, everyone should learn to swim, in order to save your own life or possibly someone else’s.”
Woll, like all of the Barracuda coaches, grew up swimming competitively in Prince William County. She has been coaching since the fall of 1999 when Nancy Doggett recruited her to the QDD Swim Team, then joining the Barracudas the following summer. That fall she began coaching for Woodbridge High School. She remains the head coach for the Ridgewood Barracudas as well as the Woodbridge HS Varsity Swim Team.
Jude Morris, mother of three Barracuda swimmers said it best, “We moved to this community because we heard about the great community swim program. I wanted my kids to be safe in the pool, and now they can compete with anybody in the water. Barracudas is great for that.”
According to Woll, the Barracudas have been a fixture in the Lake Ridge community since 1972.
Her major goal for the team this summer is to move back up to the Blue division of Prince William Swim League. “We have some great competition in the Red division and hope to use that to motivate our swimmers to train hard to reach our goal. Another goal we have every summer is to make new friends and lasting memories while still being part of a competitive swim team. “
The Ridgewood Barracudas practice weekdays at the Ridgewood Pool on Oakwood Dr. The team is still accepting registrations for children ages 5-18 through June 10, as there are a few spots available in each age group. If you are interested in registering children for this program contact Coach Cindy Woll at 703-975-9608 or cdwoll@comcast.net.
Other Lake Ridge Area Swim Teams:
Practice at Lake Ridge Community Swim Club
Head Coach Kristen Misencik
Contact Russ Vogel at vogelred@aol.com or Lori McDonald at Lancermom@verizon.net
Practice at the Old Bridge Estates Community Pool
Head Coach Debby Henry
Open only to residents of Old Bridge Estates
Contact Co-Directors Leslie Schwoppe at Schwoppe@verizon.net or Suzanne Lyons suzanne.lyons@comcast.net.
Practice at Westridge Swim and Racquet Club
Head Coach Ray Fiedler
Only open to residents of Westridge Community
Contact Johnnie Aragon at wavesreport@aol.com