SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – The Connecticut River Valley Stingrays, the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center’s competitive swim team, made history last week with their first-ever trip outside the Northeast, traveling to Tampa, Fla., to compete in the Bay Area Championship Swim Meet at Berkeley Preparatory High School the weekend of Feb. 20-22.
The Stingray swimmers, ages ranging from 8-15, began with an open-water practice on Friday morning, setting the tone for a high-energy weekend of competing. By Sunday’s final session, every Stingray swimmer qualified for finals and delivered outstanding performances, with multiple best times achieved across the board.
“This trip marked a major milestone for our program,” said Edgar May aquatics director and head swim team coach Julia Lamb. “Our swimmers competed on a larger stage outside our region, and swam some longer distance events for the first time – and they rose to the occasion.”
Dean Long, 13, of Peru, and Ella Pelletier, 14, of Chester, led the way for the Stingrays, each earning first-place finishes in their respective age groups in the 200 fly.
Mollee Thurston, 15, of Bellows Falls, and Fiona McFarland, 14, of Windsor, took on the demanding 400 individual medley (IM), while Nizhoni Trahan, 11, of Bellows Falls, and Olive Finch, 11, of Windham, competed in the 200 IM. Elizabeth Warren, 13, of Springfield, turned in a strong swim in the 500 freestyle, and Roxcy Cammock, 14, of Windsor, joined Janey Whipple, 13, of Springfield, in delivering impressive performances in the tough 1,650 freestyle.
The Stingrays’ youngest competitors, Evita Pelletier, 8, of Chester, and Yael Morris-Ravven, 10, of Putney, capped the meet with standout efforts of their own, each posting personal-best times across six of their events.
Following their successful weekend meet, the Stingrays were set to return to Vermont on Monday, but the team’s travel plans were unexpectedly impacted by the raging snowstorm in the Northeast. The blizzard caused widespread flight cancellations across the East Coast, ultimately extending the team’s five-day trip to nine.
Rather than letting the weather dampen their spirits, the Stingrays, coach Lamb, and their chaperones instead enjoyed a memorable day at SeaWorld, and trained for two additional days at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla., a world-class facility that hosts elite swimmers from across the country.
The unexpected trip extension did bring additional lodging, transportation, and meal expenses; however, back home in Vermont, the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center community made generous donations to help cover their unforeseen costs.
“This is exactly why the Edgar May exists,” said executive director Christian Craig. “We are more than a facility – we are a community that rallies together. When the unexpected happened, people responded immediately to make sure our swimmers were safe, supported, and able to continue their experience.”
The Stingrays returned home on Friday, Feb. 27, feeling stronger, more confident, and more united as a team than ever before.
For more information about the Connecticut River Valley Stingrays or youth programming at the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center, visit www.edgarmay.org.