Two girls from the Macomb Marlins, the Macomb YMCA’s swim team, competed at the YMCA national meet earlier this spring. Both swam in four events. Marah Pugh had the best National meet in the history of the Marlins with a second place, a third place and two fourth places: fourth in the 500 free and in the 400 IM, where she cut seven seconds off of her time. The third place came in the 1000 yard free and the second place came in the 1650 free. In the process, she set four new Marlins team records.
Nicole had two personal best swims, cutting four seconds off her time in the 200 breast stroke and in the 200 fly where she cut almost a full 2 seconds. Her 200 IM time of 2:09.24 set a new team record.
“Our girls did us proud and they couldn’t have done that without having an amazing program behind them, the swimmers as well as the parents,” says Steve Krankota, membership director of the Macomb Y. “Believe it or not, our little contingent of two placed 21st in the Girls competition, out of more than 100 teams.”
Nicole’s mom, Bridget, said the event was bittersweet because it marked her daughter’s last with the Macomb Marlins. Nicole has been swimming with the Marlins since she was seven years old, and will swim at Bowling Green State University in Ohio next year.
Bridget says the Y core values were very apparent in the swim program. “Out of all the different teams, they seem to be more easygoing and not just focused on competition. It’s more like a family-friendly place,” she says.
Club swimming also helped Nicole in high school, Bridget says. Swimmers who start young in a club program like the Y have an advantage in high school swim, because they are already prepared for competition and are used to the amount of training it takes to be successful. And that training also helps kids avoid some of the temptations of high school life, she says. “It might be their personality, because they end up with kids who are doing the same kind of thing they are, but they are swimming two hours a day for six days a week…those kids are exhausted!” she says.
Bridget has found that people at the Y stand out for the way they treat others, she says. “The Y is always supportive,” says Bridget. “When we go to these big events and they are just very kind and friendly, it reminds me of how people are supposed to be — trustworthy and respectful of other people.”