By WESLIE STRATTON
Moapa Valley Progress
Many swimmers have enjoyed the recreational swim team provided by Clark County Parks and Recreation at the Logandale pool. The team, Logandale Lobsters, meets three days a week and is coached by volunteers.
Returning coach Caleb Witsken said that while upwards of 40 kids joined the team at the beginning of the summer they see between 15-20 kids return each week. He said that the swimmers are split into three groups of beginner, intermediate and advanced. He and the other coaches, Heilish Gordon and Hattie Gordon, each take a group to coach.
“We mostly focus on learning all the strokes really well,” he said.
However recreational the team may be, the swimmers enjoy the opportunity to compete at two swim meets throughout the summer, one halfway through and one at the end.
“All the pools go to the meet,” Witsken said. “It’s huge.”
He said that roughly 12-15 swimmers choose to participate in the meets and that not all want to race at the Desert Breeze pool.
Heilish Gordon competes on the high school swim team and enjoys her summer days coaching the kids.
“My biggest dream is to be a swim coach,” she said.
She said that the recreational swim team is great practice for those younger kids who hope to eventually join the high school team.
As a second year coach of the Lobsters, Witsken also enjoys his time spent at the pool.
“Instead of teaching kids how to swim, we teach them how to get better,” he said.
