Swim Team holds 13-hour Swim-A-Thon at Ecker Hill Pool

PC13 is a team-building event for swimmers ages 12-18 who are legacy and senior program swimmers that lasted from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., which included many food breaks outside of the pool.

 

This is the first time Park City Swimming has done an event like this. It was held at the Aquatic Center at the Ecker Hill Middle School facility managed by the Park City School District.

 

It was challenging for all and designed to help each team work together to score points. The day was intentionally long and had a variety of events to challenge all levels and abilities. “At the end of the day, the event was super fun, and our swimmers left with smiles on their faces,” Head Coach Gadi Shamah told TownLift.

 

Shamah told TownLift how his first year on the job has been, saying that it’s been great. He couldn’t say enough about how positive this community is and how supportive his swimmers and families stay regarding the rigorous training and meet schedule.

 

“Our swimmers have not only outperformed but surpassed all my expectations.  We have had huge success this year in and out of the water., and we look to keep it going through the summer long course season.”

 

The idea for the PC13 came about from Gadi, over the years, hearing of other teams doing team events, specifically outside of swimming, and always wanting to do it for his team. He was able to get ideas from other coaches and build their own special event.  

 

The athletes ended up having more fun than they thought they would.

The events were designed specifically to accomplish certain tasks,  some were very physical some required more strategy. “One of my favorite events, was at the end of the night, after 12.5 hours, we started our dodgeball tournament.  This was actually incredible to watch. The intensity was very high but the team spirit was even higher. I’m sure you could hear the teams cheering from miles away,” said Shamah.

 

Shamah said his coaching staff has been amazing and gave them a special ‘Thank you!’ acknowledging that they could not do all these things without them. He also said how thankful he is for the support of the Park City Youth Swim Team families and Booster Club.

 

Treasure Mountain Jr. High student-athlete Teagan Hoffman successfully balances the year-round training of competitive cross country skiing with year-round swimming programming. When in the pool, she typically leads the Park City Swim Team girls in the 100 Breast Stroke amassing at least a baker’s dozen podiums this year including individual and relay events. Hofmann, Shamah, and the team rarely count meet medals though, opting for a more healthy team mentality. She told TownLift, “The PC13 was very fun and amusing. It was really cool meeting and getting to know new people. I definitely got closer to some of my teammates. It was cool to see all the activities the coaches came up with.”  

 

The first PC13 worked out well, and they say it will definitely be back next year for the 2nd annual.