The Effingham YMCA repeated as champion of the YMCA of Coastal Georgia Championship Swim Meet, held July 19 at the Hinesville YMCA.
Effingham took first place with a total score of 194. West Chatham YMCA took second place for the second year in a row with 169. For the first time in several years, the host team, Liberty County YMCA of Coastal Georgia, took third place with a score of 108.
Liberty had 12 swimmers finish in second place and 12 in third place. The Liberty team had 24 swimmers competing in the meet and each swimmer could compete in three individual events and two relay events.
The events at the meet included: 100-yard medley relay (back, breast, fly and free), 200 medley relay, 25 freestyle, 25 backstroke, 25 breaststroke, 25 butterfly, 50 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 50 breast stroke, 50 butterfly, 100 individual relay (fly, back, breast and free) and the 100 and 200 freestyle relays.
According to Myleigh Terrell, Liberty County Armed Services YMCA aquatics director, a lot of the swimmers are military. The team can change as kids move or simply want to apply what they learned in swimming lessons.
“For me, just seeing the kids smiling and having fun makes everything worth it. It’s hard work and takes a lot of dedication from the swimmers, coaches and parents,” Terrell said.