Hope Kiwanis Club Hears Program From Hope Piranhas

The Hope Kiwanis Club heard a program by the Hope Piranhas Swim Team on Tuesday (8-6).  Coach Kelly Wilcox brought Nash Mullins, Kase Lemley, Carter Wilcox, Rory Richardson, and Michael Massanelli with her.

Coach Wilcox says she works with Amy Knoll on coaching the team.  The team is a member of SASA, the South Arkansas Swim Association and the Amateur Athletic Union.  Carter Wilcox brought some of his medals and showed them to the club.

The team competes with about ten other ones in their district.  Competitions are on Saturdays.  Twelve members of the Piranhas qualified to go to the Jr. Olympics in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Six got to compete and the team brought home three medals.  The swimmers from Hope got to compete against youth from all 50 states.  Wilcox said the Piranhas achievements at the Jr. Olympics is all the more impressive as the Piranhas only get to train in the summer when the Hope swimming pool is open.  Wilcox also noted the team is the #1 small team in the SASA organization and also won 2nd place for their year-round swimmers.  Wilcox says the team is hoping to grow and they also hope that the city of Hope is able to build an indoor aquatic center in the near future.  The team’s achievements are also impressive considering the team doesn’t have much equipment such diving blocks.  Wilcox says there are lots of items the team could use.

The team has open registration in the summer and the only requirement to join is the youngster must be able to swim the length of the pool.

The young swimmers demonstrated some of their strokes at the request of the Kiwanians.

The team is funded by registration fees and fundraisers year-round.