Vol. 17, No. 14	Dec. 11, 1997

Community swim team makes some waves

The UD community swim team, for children and teens from ages 4 to 18, has grown from a guppy to a whale. Starting out with eight members three years ago, the UD Otters now number more than 200 swimmers.

According to coach Dan Shelton, recreation, HN '95, the Otters originated as an outreach program of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Service in 1993.

"The team has taken off, and we are pleased with how successful it has been. It's a win/win program that gives kids a chance to participate in a competitive sport requiring discipline and sportsmanship and still have fun at the same time," Shelton said.

Although the team is relatively young, the Otters do well in competition. This year, the Otters placed third in a mid-Atlantic competition against more than 700 other teams and 7,500 swimmers, and the team placed second in the state championships.

One member, 17-year-old Mark Lindsay is in the top 16 in backstroke in the country and twice has placed in national competitions. At the other end of the age spectrum, last year a 4-year-old girl won the free style in a regional meet in the under-6 category.

"Our track record is good. We had four graduating high school seniors last year, and they all have continued to swim competitively in college," Shelton said.

There is more to the program than swimming, however, Shelton said. "We push academics, and when kids do well in school we give them caps saying the "Otters Academic All-Star" and passes for bowling or McDonalds."

There also is a winter dance, a family picnic with a deejay and an swimathon/sleep over in Carpenter Sports Building during the winter holidays.

The team is a family affair, Shelton said. The parents, many of whom are members of the UD faculty and staff, are supportive. For example, when the Otters hosted the state championships at the Carpenter Sports Building, there were 200 volunteer jobs that had to be filled and parents pitched in. They also helped out when the team hosted the Junior Olympics, held in New Jersey.

"The logistics of holding meets for hundreds of swimmers and filling the jobs that must be done to make the meet run smoothly takes a lot of organization," Shelton said.

While the team provides an opportunity for children and teens to become involved in competitive swimming, the program also provides good experience for UD student coaches, Shelton pointed out. The assistant coach is Christopher Lyons, HN '96. There also are 12 student coaches, most of whom plan to be physical education or classroom teachers. "Coaching the swim team and interacting with kids is a learning process for them. We mentor them and move them up the ladder from coaching younger kids to teenagers," Shelton said.

A physical education major and a member of the UD swim team his junior year, Shelton was selected to head the program because of his previous experience working with children in the Newark YWCA's swimming program.

There are two sessions a year for the team: The first session runs from September to March and the second from April to August. Practice sessions are held weekday evenings and during the weekends.

For information, contact Shelton at 831-4968 or by e-mail at otter@ udel.edu

-Sue Swyers Moncure
Photo by Duane Perry