Interest in swimming grows locally as U.S. piles up the gold

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By Tory Brecht | Friday, August 15, 2008 7:23 PM CDT | () comments

Pleasant Valley junior Cassie Batz practices the freestyle Friday during a captain’s practice in Bettendorf. The swim team held voluntary practices this week to gear up for the season. (Andrew Link/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

As U.S. Olympian Michael Phelps smashes world records, screaming through the water with a genetically perfect torso, little swimmers across the Quad-Cities are taking notice and flocking to pools.

“I’ve been doing this about nine years, and usually when the Olympics come around, it perks up the swimming lesson numbers and kids want to learn some of the different strokes,” said Missy Wahlheim, director of programming at the Bettendorf Family YMCA. “You know when people start requesting to learn the butterfly that they are watching the Olympics.”

High school swim coaches say their athletes are motivated by seeing what is typically an under-the-radar sport get so much media attention.

“Every parent wants their kid to be Michael Phelps,” said Davenport North boys and girls swim coach Guy Heller.

Heller said the greatest influx of new swimmers is in the “feeder” programs — swim teams designed for elementary and junior high ages.

“We’ll probably see the fruits of this Olympics (at the high school level) in a few more years,” he said. “It kind of works out that way.”

Paul Eure, who coaches both swim teams at Pleasant Valley High School, said his fall girls team has more robust numbers than he expected. With a loss of many seniors from last year’s state qualifying team, he worried only 15 or so girls would show up. But early preseason, team captain-directed practices have seen 20 girls in the pool, and he hopes a few more may join when official practices start Monday.

The enthusiasm generated by the Olympics isn’t confined to the young swimmers, Eure said.

“I’m definitely more excited about starting the season after watching the U.S. team,” he said. “That relay on Sunday night was about the most exciting thing you can get at the Olympics. The girls talk about that. It’s inspirational.”

Over at the North Family YMCA in Davenport, an effort is under way to start a new feeder swim team. Originally, the team was supposed to be put together in 2007, said Lisa Knutson, the Y’s aquatics director. But she thinks postponing it a year might pay off.

“I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls with interest in the new swim club,” she said. “We didn’t plan to start it in an Olympic year. It’s sheer coincidence, but it’s a good coincidence.”

The pool itself is more full than usual, she said.

“People are coming out and doing lap swimming, and more people are utilizing the pool for open swim,’ Knutson said.

Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com.