USA Swimming flushed by local YMCA

Courtney Chapin and Isabella Ortiz always loved being at the Lakewood Ranch YMCA. 

It was in the YMCA pool where Chapin took her first swim lesson when she was 4 years old and she learned to race the following year. Ortiz, whose parents forced her to try out for the swim team in eighth grade, discovered a family atmosphere unlike anything she had experienced before. 

The Lakewood Ranch YMCA provided both girls, now Lakewood Ranch High School juniors, a place to explore their passion for swimming, compete at a high level and form relationships with their teammates at both the high school and club level. 

Now things have changed.

On April 12, members of the YMCA Blackfins and their parents learned the team was being dissolved effective April 22. 

The announcement was made during a during a parent’s meeting and caught many of the families off guard. Some of the parents said they thought the meeting was to announce a new head coach or to make plans for a team banquet. 

Manatee County YMCA CEO Sean Allison met with parents during a follow-up meeting April 14 where he told the more than 50 parents in attendance the Lakewood Ranch branch did not have the resources to handle a competitive league. 

The Lakewood Ranch YMCA only has a 25-meter pool rather than an Olympic-regulation, 50-meter pool. The YMCA also can’t afford to staff a full-time, professional swim coach, which is what an elite, USA Swimming-affiliated team needed.

The Lakewood Ranch Blackfins now will be members of the Suncoast Swim League, which competes against area teams from May through July. 

“We believe that it’s in the best interest of the Y to transition away from operating a USA Swimming-sanctioned program and offer a scaled down YMCA Swim Team that is less competitive and more attractive to Y Members and their kids,” Allison said in a release. “The summer swim team at our Bradenton Branch has been very successful, and that model will work well for Parrish and Lakewood Ranch. The swim teams at all three branches will allow the most children possible to have a fun, challenging and safe swim team experience.” 

The release noted those who want to continue competing with USA Swimming can join the Lakewood Ranch Lightning, the Sarasota Tsunami or the Sarasota Sharks, among other programs.

“We recognize that some of our swimmers are swimming at more elite levels and will need to find a new club,” Allison said.  “We understand the challenge of finding a new team, and will try to help ease their transition as best we can. We look forward to having partnerships with other swim teams as we train future athletes who want to compete at a higher level.” 

Allison said the "retirement" of former head coach Jeff Logsdon, who guided the program the past five years, was a factor.

“To really be competitive at an elite level and provide adequate training for its top swimmers, a USA Swimming team requires full time, highly trained coaches, and that would require between 200-250 swimmers in the program,” Allison said in a release.  “We just don’t have the facilities to support the training of elite swimmers. Jeff has done a fantastic job with our swim program on a part-time basis. He’s been a great Y supporter and I hope he won’t stray too far from the Y."

Parents whose children utilized the USA Swimming program were upset with the decision.

“It was like telling my kids they weren’t valuable enough to be members of the YMCA,” said Becky Waggett, whose two children, 8-year-old Brooke Palmtag and 6-year-old Luci Palmtag, compete in the program.

Fellow swim mom Alison Griffin agreed. 

"I couldn't understand how such a great group of kids and families could be dismissed with such little regard," Griffin said. "It's heartbreaking to watch the kids on the team be torn apart from their friends, as everyone scatters to try to find new teams to join." 

Ortiz was one of only two swimmers to attend the meeting. 

“I was appalled,” Ortiz said. “I didn’t know what to say, and I almost didn’t believe it. I remember my hands were trembling because I was so angry.”

Chapin and Ortiz both had wonderful times with the program.

“Walking through the YMCA, people would always stop and ask me about the swim team or congratulate me on my success,” Chapin said. “All of the members always seemed supportive.” 

“You would walk on deck and you could feel the atmosphere was unlike any other pool,” Ortiz said. “Everyone got along and everyone was kind and uplifting toward one another. The Blackfins were different. Our small family was rising to the top.” 

Since becoming a year-round USA Swimming-affiliated team in November 2009 and earning its first national qualifier in 2011, the team has continually seen its swimmers break YMCA meet records and qualify for high level championship swim meets.

“It really upset me because that’s the place where it all started," Chapin said. "I think it really frustrates me. I had been there for so long; and for me, it’s just upsetting to know the place where it all started is gone.”

The news, which Allison said the YMCA had been considering for the past two years, was discouraging for Logsdon, who resigned from his position about a month ago to further his career as a firefighter and paramedic. Logsdon is a lieutenant with the Treasure Island Fire Department. 

“I didn’t know about it until the last minute like everyone else,” said Logsdon. “I really didn’t see this coming. It’s kind of tough. 

“At the end of the day, it’s about these kids. It’s purely about these kids and getting them involved in swimming.” 

Now some of the parents are shifting gears as they seek a new program.

The Lightning practice out of the Lakewood Ranch Athletic Center while the Tsunami practice out of Arlington Park, in Sarasota, and G.T. Bray, in west Bradenton. The Sharks, the most well-known of the three teams, practice out of the Selby Aquatic Center, at Potter Park, in Sarasota. 

All three teams are USA Swimming-affiliated teams and are willing to take on new swimmers. 

The Lightning held an evaluation April 16 with roughly 13 Blackfins swimmers, including Brooke and Luci Palmtag, in attendance. 

Since the Lightning doesn’t have the lane space or resources available to take on all of the Blackfins, Waggett said the coaches will look at the best fit for the swimmers. 

“The Lightning coaches were so welcoming to us,” said Waggett, who plans to join the Lightning family as soon as possible if her girls are accepted. “They are truly making the transition easier for us."

YMCA staff also had spoken with the Tsunami about the possibility of some of its swimmers joining the team. Tsunami coach Ira Klein said the team is willing to help as many of the Blackfins as possible. Those interested simply need to fill out a registration form online. 

In addition to openings at its two sites, the Tsunami also is looking into the possibility of using the John Marble pool on State Road 70 for the summer and helping to turn it into a year-round pool site. 

“I was very concerned for the swimmers and want to help any way we can,” Klein said. “The east side of the county needs a quality program closer than 15 minutes away. The YMCA program will be missed in the area, and we plan to fill that void.” 

The Sarasota Sharks, the largest program with nearly 500 members, had been in talks with the Lakewood Ranch YMCA about the possibility of forming a partnership where the Blackfins would become part of the Sharks umbrella. 

While the two sides were unable to reach an agreement financially, Brent Arckey, the director of competitive aquatics and the Sharks head coach, said the program would welcome any of the Blackfins. 

“We tried and tried hard,” Arckey said. “I would still be very interested in finding a way to get in Lakewood Ranch. I feel bad for the kids. At the end of the day, I just really want kids in the sport of swimming because that makes us all better.” 

USA Swimming rules state a swimmer can go to swim meets and compete, but he or she can’t score points for the team until having 120 days with the program. That swimmer also can’t compete on a relay team.

The Blackfins began as a recreational program in 2006 competing against other recreational county teams. 

“A summer league program is an incredible program that’s really needed in the community, but for kids wanting to compete at a higher level, USA Swimming is critical,” Logsdon said. “The kids who have chosen to swim on a USA Swimming team want to be competitive. They are very goal oriented and driven.” 

Under the guidance of former aquatics director Hilary Koppenhaver, the team rebranded as the Lakewood Ranch YMCA Wave Runners and transitioned from a Suncoast League team to a year-round USA Swimming-affiliated team. 

The team, which was rebranded as the Blackfins last November, became the largest of its kind in Manatee County. 

“We essentially evolved with the community of Lakewood Ranch,” Koppenhaver said. “As it grew, we grew. As the children grew up, we continued to provide additional aquatics programming to accommodate their needs as athletes.” 

Allison said the three-month recreational season will give other YMCA members more access to the pool and increase the amount of swim lessons the staff can deliver. 

“We want to focus on a broad appeal impacting lots of kids’ lives,” Allison said.

Those who want to compete in the USA Swimming program have felt a different impact.

“The decision to get in that pool was the best decision I have ever made,” Nolan Middle School eighth-grader Angelina Ortiz said. “I’m not ready to see that all go away.”