Photo credit: Lizzie Kibler
Submitted by Mayerson JCC
Steeped in memes and a decided lack of seriousness, Grown-Up Swimming is the hottest (wettest?) new summer activity taking the community by storm.
For many people who grew up swimming, high school is the last opportunity they have for organized opportunities. For adult swimmers who still love the sport or for those looking to get involved for the first time, there are few programs where you can meet people and swim with a team. This was the situation recognized by Becca Blumer, an avid swimmer, swim teacher, and coach, when she first heard about Grown-up Swimming.
Grown-Up Swimming is a summer league for adults, which strives to capture the joy and delight of summer club swimming that many experienced as a child. The organization places emphasis on fun, fitness, and community. Becca says, “I just wanted to have friends in a fitness community, swimming, enjoying the sport, enjoying the water, and Grown-Up Swimming provided that environment.”
Becca quickly became the league director for the brand-new Cincinnati region. The response was overwhelming: in one summer, the league grew from zero to over a hundred members and has five teams across the city, including one in Northern Kentucky. Of those teams, JCC’s very own Smoked Salmons is the largest, with 37 members. “When all those people showed up to the first day of practice and the pool was rumbling, you could feel it in your chest. It was so cool to see that happening in the JCC pool.”
Becca has also helped develop group adult swim lessons at the J and quickly recognized the need for intermediate classes, which soon followed. Some members have progressed from beginners, to intermediate, to being on the swim team and swimming races. Becca recounted the story of one beginner who graduated and went on to swim 1,000 yards for the first time. “That’s why things like this are really important because I don’t think he would have had that same encouragement without this program and without our adult lessons as well.”
Team Captain Kathleen Piech-Lukas is one of three team captains for the Smoked Salmons, and swims with both U.S. Masters and Grown-Up Swimming. She says that the big difference between Grown-Up Swimming and Masters, besides the intensity, is that Grown-Up Swimming gives out prizes for winning your heat. She says summer leagues as a child were “about the fun and the camaraderie and being part of a team and, you know, parents watching and being proud of their kids. That piece was really lacking for adults in the swimming world.” Grown-Up Swimming fulfils this need by rewarding the small wins as well as the big ones, giving out small prizes, and having goofy races for fun. “There’s still competition, but the emphasis is on having a good time while staying fit,” Blumer says.
Grown-Up Swimming is also about building community and making friends. When Jennifer Sharp moved to Cincinnati last May, she was looking for a way to meet new people and find community. As a frequent swimmer, one of the first things she did was sign up for Grown-Up Swimming. “I am so glad I did; it has been a great way to meet like-minded people in the community. Becca has done a fabulous job both as our coach and running the league. Her excitement is contagious. She always has a smile on her face, even when we are being thundered out. We are so lucky to have her!”
Many of the members of the Grown-Up swimming community have decided to keep the fun going. Although Grown-Up swimming is a summer league, some teams have formed book clubs and bowling leagues for the off-season, and organizers are looking into the possibility of year-round practices.
The season isn’t quite over yet: swimmers from all five teams will be going to Florida to represent Cincinnati in the East Coast Championship Meet, which will be held at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, home of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. The league is currently looking for sponsorship, both for the whole league and for individual teams. “Our goal is to roll on into this meet in Florida with matching shirts with all of our cool Cincinnati sponsors on the back and take home a trophy,” Becca says.
For Becca, whose day job is in accessibility, diversity, and community engagement, Grown-Up Swimming is part of her mission to make sure swimming is accessible to everyone. She says, “Swimming can be a big barrier sport, but it’s really important to me as an individual because I know how good it is for the human body.” Grown-Up Swimming is for everybody, no matter your ability or competitive history.
