Allie McEntire, the ETSU swim club captain, saw a need for change last February and acted on it.
“I saw a need for a club,” McEntire said. “As a lifeguard and swim instructor at the [Basler Center for Physical Activity], there were many folks asking if we had any type of club or team.”
The pool is used daily by students, staff and locals for recreational purposes, and they also have a 100-mile swim club where people count their laps to convert them into miles swam.
In addition to working for the campus gym, McEntire is also involved in other organizations.
“I am currently the H.E.R.O.E.S. president, and I knew the requirement for starting a SORC registered club,” McEntire said. “It did not seem too difficult. What I needed more help on was learning what the requirements were to become a sport club. It is a good thing we have the Sport Club GA office located in the CPA for all the information on things of that nature.”
McEntire spent about three months getting everything together.
The members so far in the club are Allie McEntire (Captain), Sean O Connor (President), Maya Roselius (Vice President), Jimmy Stewart, Savana Weddle, Ethan Elkins (Secretary), José María Oliva Lozano. There are more signed up, but not all could make it last semester.
“Everyone listed came to most practices last semester, so I can say that they are all hardworking and dedicated people,” McEntire said. “Everyone helps boost each other, and we work together to get through tough practice sets.”
Practice includes: swimming laps using drills, technique, and strokes. Sometimes they throw in sprint sets and other times endurance.
The only competition so far for the team was the UTK Fall Invitational. Because of limitation on athletes, they were only able to do the men’s relay team.
“Everyone was excited and we all had a good time and gained some great experience as a group,” McEntire said.
The team does not know when their next meet will be, but the season goes during both fall and spring semester so they look to attend as many as possible.
In the future, the team plans to get more involved on campus by fundraising, tabling events, flyers and social media.
The team has a Facebook page and Instagram page.
With spreading the word comes possible participation, and McEntire hopes the group will grow.
“We all seem very eager and excited to see what is to come for the club and the future meets we will participate in this spring,” McEntire said. “New members are always welcome, and we are constantly trying to recruit new people to come see what we are about.”
