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SWIM MEET

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Peachtree Corners Swim Team
Peachtree Corners Swim Meet at the Riverfield Swimming pool Friday May 17, 2019, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. (photos by JASON GETZ/Getz Images)

A Summer of Rivalries, Friendships & Family

The start of summer can be marked by a handful of familiar sounds: water splashing, kids squealing from the chilly temperatures, coaches’ whistles, parents hustling and that infamous heat-opening honk. Yes, it’s time for summer swim team.

Peachtree Corners is fielding five teams, together including hundreds of swimmers, for the Gwinnett Swim League’s competitive — but still fun — Western Division.

Bragging rights, along with a sportsmanship award and invitations to the county meet, are on the line for the Fields Club, the Rapid Barracudas, the Peachtree Corners WaveRunners, Peachtree Station Piranhas and Spalding Corners Sharks, along with the Berkeley Hills Barracudas from Duluth.

For Susan Brooks, Peachtree Station’s head coach, there is no better way to spend Thursday nights in the summer than when the people of the community draw her back to the pool year after year.

“If I didn’t love y’all, I wouldn’t keep doing this,” Brooks said as she prepared for her 20th swim team season.

Brooks was not alone in her sentiments, which echoed across teams and generations in Peachtree Corners. Many swimmers now in high school recalled fond memories of starting swim team in their early elementary school days. Swimmers evolve and grow, becoming junior coaches and mentors to their peers. Some even become head coaches.

“I’m looking forward to bringing the experience and enthusiasm that helped me stick with swim team all these years,” said Colton Kryski, who started swimming with the Rapid Barracudas about 14 years ago. He is now entering his inaugural season as the team’s head coach. “I hope to leave something behind that will stay past my years as coach.”

Cover Photo by JASON GETZ/Getz Images)

“The rivalries are more for the kids,” said Jessica Sapough, the registrar for the Peachtree Corners WaveRunners. “Peachtree Corners is like a small town, so you have a meet with 350 kids, but all the kids go to the same school or are friends with the kids they’re swimming against.”


Jessica Sapough
Peachtree Corners WaveRunners

Friendly competition

Spalding Corners has recently dominated the swimming landscape in Peachtree Corners: Over the last six seasons, the team has amassed a 36-0 record under co-coaches Willie Hildebrand and Kailyn Dunn.

But for many in the area, even the coaches, the sport is more about personal bests and camaraderie. It’s made possible, in part, because the neighborhoods are so close together geographically, with five of the division’s six teams sharing a ZIP code.

“The rivalries are more for the kids,” said Jessica Sapough, the registrar for the Peachtree Corners WaveRunners. “Peachtree Corners is like a small town, so you have a meet with 350 kids, but all the kids go to the same school or are friends with the kids they’re swimming against.”

Coaches said their top priorities for swimmers were to see improvement in the pool and in the kids’ confidence. Nothing, they said, beats the joy of watching young swimmers sharpen their strokes, or the celebration of a relay team that crushed its record.

“It’s just as good to watch the 4- and 5-year-old make it across the pool for the first time as it is to watch a kid going off on a college scholarship and Olympic trials,” Sapough said.

Community wide

Swim season is more than a series of summer meets; planning for the teams starts as early as January, long before people are even thinking about getting in the water, and Gwinnett Swim League requires more volunteers than many others.

“It doesn’t work without the parent volunteers,” said Melanie Willenborg, team manager for the Fields Club. “They’re the key element to make the whole team experience flow: the starter, the timers, bullpen volunteers and so much more.”

Jason Erb (Photo Courtesy Wesleyan School)

Jason Erb, head coach of the Field Club and Lower School Principal at Wesleyan School, said he would love to see the former swim team parents come back and be involved. Even though their kids are grown, he hoped they might like to volunteer again and reinvest in the community where they have fond family memories.

And for new families, the swim season can be a valuable way to quickly plug into the community. Come summer, it’s often a safe bet that neighbors with kids will be at a meet on a Thursday night. Those nights often give way to a common bond among families as they cheer on each other’s kids, summer after summer.

“It’s like a giant tailgate party for kids,” Sapough said. “They’re eating candy and sitting on towels hanging out and doing their thing, and then they go swim. What’s not to like?”

Character building

Parents and coaches alike see swim team as one of the most valuable ways for children to spend their summers. Not only are the kids learning a skill that could prove life-saving, they’re getting exercise, hanging out with kids of all ages, contributing to a team and developing the talents that can improve their performances.

“Our mission is to build community and character through competitive swimming,” said Erb, adding that he focuses on resilience and overcoming hurdles through hard work and self-improvement.

Those lessons go beyond the pool, but so does the talk about sportsmanship and swimming etiquette.

“We encourage our swimmers to stay on the pool deck until all relays are finished and stay in the water until the race is over and shake hands afterward,” said Spalding Corners co-coach Dunn.

As the swimmers age through the program, there are also opportunities for them to mentor the younger kids and become junior coaches, offering new ways to grow and be challenged.

“We want to make every kid feel important,” Hildebrand said. “We want to make the pool a second home to them. The swimming will go, but it’s the memories of having fun that will go beyond.”

Fun for the whole family

Unlike most youth sports, age and gender matter only so much.

“Swim team is an equalizer because a 5- or 6-year-old can earn just as many points for a team as an 18-year-old about to go D-1,” said Kryski. “It’s a good environment for the older kids to set a good example for the younger ones and push them to be better.”

For year-round swimmers, the summer league is a chance to cut loose while staying in shape. But for many families, swim team is about participating in a sport that celebrates individual and group efforts — while adding in the fun of obstacle courses, greased watermelons, parent relays and occasional pie-ings of the coaches.

“It’s great to win,” Brooks said, “but it’s more fun to enjoy the spirit of the team and the cheers.” ■

(Photos by JASON GETZ/Getz Images)

Correction: The print edition had Swimmer Profile for Emma Fass in correctly noted as Emma Sass. We apologize for the error.

Meredith Blinder is a Realtor with RE/MAX Around Atlanta and a native of Peachtree Corners. When she’s not serving her clients, Meredith enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading and trying out all of our community’s great restaurants.

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Community

UPCCA Community Service Scholarship Awards

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The United Peachtree Corners Civic Association (UPCCA) is again offering a Community Service Scholarship for high school seniors residing in Peachtree Corners. The 2023 scholarships will be awarded to students who have made the commitment to volunteer outside of school hours during their high school years.

New for 2023

Up to two UPCCA scholarships may be awarded.

The Debbie Mason Member Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship. To qualify, the student or their HOA / neighborhood MUST be a member of UPCCA in good standing for the 2023 calendar year with membership fees paid on or before April 15, 2023.

If the applicant’s HOA/ neighborhood is NOT a current paid member of UPCCA, they can contact their HOA, neighborhood board or president and encourage them to become a 2023 member.

Information for becoming a member of UPCCA can be found at upcca.org, or by contacting UPCCA president Matt Lombardi at 770-548-2989.

The Debbie Mason Community Scholarship is a $1,000 community scholarship in honor of Debbie Mason’s commitment to serve her community. Students do not need to be a UPCCA member to qualify for this scholarship.

How to apply

High school seniors who meet the qualifications should:

1. Complete the Online Scholarship Application

The online application includes areas to upload documentation for the essay and service activities.

2. Write and/or video a 300-word essay about the community service work they have done that has had the greatest influence on them and why.

3. Include a Community Service listing of all activities they participated in while in high school.

Winners will be chosen strictly on their participation in community service. 

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GCPL Offers Opportunity to Earn Free Disney on Ice Tickets Through Reading Challenge

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Disney on Ice

The Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL) is giving local kids the chance to earn a free ticket to Disney On Ice Find Your Hero! The show will be at the Gas South Arena from April 20 to 23.

Children can their earn tickets by reading five books. Each participating child will receive one Reward Club Card. As children show staff their returned library books, the vouches will be stamped a corresponding number of times. 

Find Your Hero!

The Disney On Ice presentation of Find Your Hero! brings together Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy for an adventure filled with tales of heroism from everyone’s favorite Disney stories.

Moana and demigod Maui, from the film Moana, bravely voyage into uncharted territories to return the stolen heart of Te Fiti. Anna and Elsa of Frozen go on a quest to protect the kingdom. 

The Little Mermaid tests the power of love, Rapunzel dares to explore the outside world on her own, and Belle, of Beauty and the Beast, boldly tames the fearsome Beast. 

Best of all, everyone discovers that courage, determination, and heart are all part of the hero within us all.

Details

Vouchers for free tickets can be redeemed at Gas South Arena’s box office up until Sunday, April 23 for applicable shows on the following dates: Thursday, April 20; Friday, April 21; Saturday, April 22; and Sunday, April 23.

A parent/guardian ticket purchase is required when redeeming a child’s voucher for the free child’s ticket. One adult ticket must be purchased for every three free kids’ tickets redeemed. 

Adult tickets for the show range from $19 to $49, depending on date and seat location. VIP, Rinkside and VIP Dining tickets are available at higher price points.

For more information, click on gwinnettpl.org/kids/disney-on-ice/.

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City Of Peachtree Corners Designated as City of Civility

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City of Civility

The City of Peachtree Corners has been designated as a City of Civility by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA). The City adopted a civility resolution as part of GMA’s new “Embrace Civility” program during the February 28 Council Meeting.

Peachtree Corners is just the 23rd city out of 537 in Georgia to earn this designation.

“Having seen first-hand the civility of the interactions among our council members and with our residents, I was pleased to introduce the resolution to earn us the designation as a Georgia City of Civility,” said Peachtree Corners City Councilman Eric Christ.

GMA, in partnership with the Association’s nonprofit organization, Georgia City Solutions, created the Embrace Civility program to equip Georgia’s cities with resources to create more civility in their meetings and among their residents and meeting attendees.

According to GMA, Civility is more than just politeness. It is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one’s preconceptions, and teaching others to do the same.

In a 2019 poll conducted by Weber Shandwick, Civility in America, 2019, 93% of Americans believe that incivility is a problem, with 68% identifying incivility as a major problem.

To become a City of Civility, city councils are required to adopt a Civility Resolution and pledge to engage in civil behavior with each other as well as with residents and meeting attendees. Cities also have a civility pledge that can be published or recited at meetings.

Learn more about the Embrace Civility program at gacities.com/civility. To view the Resolution, visit peachtreecornersga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2570

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