Youth Swim Team Organizing in Buffalo

This summer young swimmers in Buffalo will have the opportunity to join a new swim team thanks to new improvements to the Buffalo City Pool. The pool, which is managed by the Dallas County Area YMCA in a partnership with the City of Buffalo, has added two swim lanes, allowing for the creation of the team. The team will be open to anyone between the ages of 5 and 20 who can swim during the summer swim season.

The new swim lanes were made possible by the donation of swimming lane lines from the closure of the Ward YMCA in downtown Springfield. The Y has installed these lines and will paint markings on the bottom of the pool to create the two lanes, whose absence were the primary obstacle to establishing a swim team in Buffalo.

Buffalo’s summer swim team will not be tied to the local school district, as the outdoor pool is only operational during the summer months. Participants who wish to continue swimming competitively throughout the year will have the option to join the Lebanon or Pat Jones teams during the off season.

The team’s summer season will consist of two weeks of practice followed by two or three weeks of swim meets. Practices are set to take place twice a week, while meets will occur on Saturdays. Although the exact schedule for practices has not been finalized, The Y is working to incorporate the new team into its summer programming.

David Krev, the Boys Varsity Swim Team coach at Lebanon High School, has volunteered to help launch the Buffalo municipal team. The Y is also seeking a volunteer to coach the team on a permanent basis. Until a coach is found, Dawn Decker, Associate Center Director for The Y, will oversee practices under Krev’s guidance.

The swim team aims to promote The Y’s four core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility, according to Decker. She believes that participating in the swim team will help to instill these principles in the young athletes, not only in the pool but in their everyday lives.

The swim team can begin with as few as three competitors, and if more than ten swimmers join the practice schedule will be divided to accommodate the limited number of lanes. Swim meets will not be held in Buffalo due to the two-lane restriction. Instead, the first season will include travel to nearby cities such as Bolivar and Springfield for swim meets. Higher levels of competition could mean opportunities to travel across the state to cities as far as Joplin or Carthage.

Prospective team members must be able to float and swim before joining. They will also undergo a swim test to determine their competition level, the strokes they will use, and any additional coaching and instruction they may need. The four core swim strokes are Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle.

For those not yet able to float and swim, The Y offers swimming lessons to serve as a stepping stone for young swimmers interested in joining the team. Friends, family, and spectators will have opportunities to attend swim meets and support the Buffalo swimmers.

Swimmers, parents, and potential coaches who would like to be involved should reach out to Dawn Decker via email at ddecker@orymca.org or call the Dallas County Area YMCA at (417) 345-1116.