By Julia Kawka | October 23, 2023
They may not have a pool, but the University at Albany Swim Club has been reinvigorated after nearly disbanding. Students personally invested in the club’s future put their efforts and work towards the goal which paid off in the end. In addition, UAlbany’s Club Sports Department offered its support to the club.
“The club was doing dry land practices,” Mike Bratslavsky, UAlbany junior and the club’s president, said. “I didn’t want to see a swim team die.”
With the continuous search, the club received a budget and was able to rent out a pool at the local Vent Fitness for three weekly practices for an hour-and-a-half each.
Photo Credit: Markus Spiske (found on Pexels)
This semester, the club saw a significant rise in popularity with many new members joining. From organizing mock meets and fundraisers at local businesses to participating in invitationals, the Swim Club has become quite active in a brief amount of time.
“Mike has been working very hard to start up the club and keep it running,” UAlbany sophomore and Swim Club event manager Emmett Hanson said. “So many new people joined this year and there are a lot of events to look forward to.”
The Swim Club also provides an opportunity for swimmers of all abilities. “There are people of all different levels, from beginner, intermediate and to advanced members who have swam in the most competitive of meets,” Bratslavsky said.
The members are very appreciative of the camaraderie this facilitates. “It’s a great group of different level swimmers and it feels amazing to be in such a collaborative and wonderful community of people,” UAlbany junior Sophia Levit said.
UAlbany senior Jordan Divi felt the same, saying, “I swam competitively for six years, the club doesn’t have the most competitive edge and it's a really wonderful group of people.”
Future events include an upcoming invitational in Syracuse on Nov. 4.
Comments