Three members of the Hope Piranhas Swim Team gave local civic leaders a firsthand look at competitive swimming during Tuesday's regular meeting of the Hope Kiwanis Club.
According to one of the two Hope Piranhas coaches, Kelly Wilcox (Amy Miller is the other one), swimmers Carter Wilcox, Michael Massanelli and Rory Richardson attended the meeting and answered questions from club members about the sport and the team's activities.
Wilcox said the swimmers impressed those in attendance with demonstrations. "They dazzled the crowd with their stroke technique," Wilcox said. "The crowd had a lot of questions for them."
Wilcox noted that Carter Wilcox served as spokesman for the group during the presentation. All three swimmers have achieved Junior Olympian status through top-eight finishes in Junior Olympic competition.
The presentation also prompted discussion about the future of competitive swimming in Hope. Wilcox said Kiwanis members expressed interest in the possibility of developing opportunities for older swimmers.
"We don't have that yet, but maybe with the new aquatic center, that might be a real possibility,” Kelly Wilcox said.
The Hope Piranhas are now entering the heart of their summer competition schedule. Wilcox said the team's first scheduled meet of the season was held last Saturday in Monticello, but Hope elected to forfeit because Hope’s pool at Fair Park had not yet opened, preventing swimmers from practicing beforehand.
The team's next challenge comes this weekend at the first of two Junior Olympic qualifying meets, a three-day competition in Texarkana. Wilcox said limited pool access has made preparation difficult but that swimmers will still be working to earn qualifying performances.
Additional meets are scheduled for June 20 in Arkadelphia, June 26-28 in El Dorado for the second Junior Olympic qualifier, July 11 in Monticello and July 18 at the South Arkansas Swimming Association Championships in Arkadelphia. Swimmers who qualify will advance to the AAU Junior Olympic Swimming Competition, scheduled for July 28 through Aug. 2 in Des Moines, Iowa.
