PAY Swim Team Heading to Maryland for Competition

The following release was submitted by Susan Mostek.

The Freedom Valley YMCA at Phoenixville offers an age group competitive swimming program (known as PAY Swimming) focused on producing great kids and outstanding swimmers.  This weekend, January 11 through January 13, the PAY Swim Team will travel to the University of Maryland to compete in Severna Park YMCA (known as SPY) Swimming’s 11th Annual Maryland Winterfest Invitational.

“Winterfest is the largest age groups YMCA meet in the country,” said Meet Director Carole Parker. “We have 45 teams coming, and we have 1,531 swimmers. It’s a huge event.”

SPY swimming hosts the event in College Park every year and 44 swimmers from PAY Swimming will compete against participants from eight states.  “Our kids set goals early in the season to qualify for this meet and it is great to see them work to achieve them.  We look forward to going to Maryland this weekend to see how we perform against some of the fastest swimmers in the region,” states Ryan Kennedy, head coach for PAY Swimming. 

“The invitational will feature swimmers ages 9-18 from New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland and Virginia. It’s a great opportunity for our kids to swim in that kind of venue,” Parker said. “It’s a college campus, and it’s a beautiful pool facility. It gives kids the chance to swim in a fast meet. It’s a cut meet, so you have to meet a cut time in order to swim."

PAY Swimming offers a great opportunity to enjoy competitive swimming for everyone from the first timer to the national qualifier. To learn more, log onto www.payswim.org.