PHOENIX — Officially, winter only just ended, but for 18 kids from a Foothills swim team, it was the perfect weekend for a dip in the pool.
Good thing, too, because the TJCC Stingrays had plenty of swimming to do. The team was one of more than 30 youth swim clubs that converged on Phoenix for the Arizona Swimming State Championship.
"This is the pinnacle for most of our kids," said Stingrays parent Nichole Hocheder.
The Stingrays is an all-ages, co-ed swim club that has practiced at the Tucson Jewish Community Center for more than 10 years. While 18 of its swimmers went to Phoenix, that's only part of the team. About 100 kids swim with the Stingrays in Tucson, said Coach Amy Behm.
The four-day championship meet in Phoenix drew more than 1,100 athletes, with parents and coaches in tow, to the Brophy East Sports Campus in central Phoenix, said meet director Eileen Hatfield.
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And it felt like even more people were there as kids, parents and coaches crushed around the competition lanes, shrieking and whooping for Stingrays and Thundercats, Seals and Silver Fins.
"I like it because all the kids go to the end of the lane and cheer their hearts out for their team," said Stingrays parent Lisa Fayo.
And after that, a lot of drippy hugs.
"We're all really close," said Stingrays swimmer Alexis Souza, 12.
The Stingrays practice five to six days a week at the JCC pool. Some of the older team members practice three hours a day or more, Hocheder said.
Putting in the time can be tough, but the payoff is worth it,
"When it gets hard, I know that it's making me better. And I like getting better," Souza said.
Watching her 9-year-old son Martin dive into the pool for one of his races, Hocheder said personal improvement motivates many of the swimmers.
It's not so much about beating the kid in the lane next to you, it's how much you get better personally, she said.
Sure enough, Martin dropped a second off his best time in the event he was swimming.
"Oh, he'll be happy about that," Hocheder says.
"If they're happy, you're happy," says Diane Diamond, another Stingrays parent.
Martin said competitions like the state championship just make him go faster. And he likes that.
"It feels good," he said.
But the very best thing about swimming, according to Stingray after Stingray, isn't beating records, it's swimming with friends.
"All my best friends are on the swim team. So if I wasn't, they probably wouldn't be my best friends," said Stingrays swimmer Reed Wallace, 12.
