Marble Falls Current swim team practicing for meets, still registering members
Marble Falls Current coach Krystal Lunsford helps team member Journey Blackmon with her cap before a recent practice. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
To Krystal Lunsford, swimming is a lifelong sport.
That’s why the Marble Falls Current swim team coach welcomes ages 3 to senior citizen.
Lunsford said interested swimmers must go through testing before becoming part of the team. That testing includes a 25-yard freestyle swim, which determines the individual’s competition level.
There are three levels: gold for the most experienced followed by silver and bronze.
The coach noted that while some swimmers begin on the bronze level, they don’t stay there long.
“As their endurance gets higher, they progress to silver,” Lunsford said. The swimmers’ strokes also get better with more time in the water. “I love seeing the improvement.”
While the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation, to which the team belongs, has canceled the 2020 summer meets, Lunsford said she and two other swim program coaches are planning three competitions for mid-summer.
“There are other teams that are still practicing, and we are coordinating meets right now,” Lunsford said.
The coach loves many things about swimming but especially seeing a child take up the sport after struggling to find one that fits them. As they become better, their self-confidence grows and permeates other parts of their lives.
While competing against other swimmers and striving for a place on the podium is important, Lunsford said team members also measure themselves against the clock. By racing against time, swimmers can see their advancement even if they don’t medal.
“I love seeing the improvement and the conquering of obstacles, the progression,” she said. “I love to see them smile.”
The Current swim team, formerly known as the Tsunami, holds practices starting at 8:45 a.m. Monday-Thursday at the Lakeside Park pool, 305 Buena Vista Drive in Marble Falls.
Adults and children can register online through June 30 for the program, which runs until July 31. Registration is $115 for gold-level swimmers, $90 for silver, and $70 for bronze.
For more information, email Lunsford at thecurrentusa@gmail.com.