FORT RUCKER, Ala.--The Wiregrass Aquatics Club (WAC) may be a small team, but this group of young swimmers with a passion for water practices all-year round side-by-side with future aviators, recreational lap swimmers, and young children learning to swim while competing competitively at the local and regional level.
The Wiregrass Aquatics Club, a non-profit organization, was created to serve the swimming needs and interests of the youth on and around Ft. Rucker, AL. WAC is a USA Swimming affiliated team that participates at the highest level of competition for young athletes and prides itself on its dedication to swimmer excellence. Its highly experienced USA Swimming certified coaches teach swimmers youth to 18 proper swimming techniques, build their endurance and confidence in the water, and help instill in them a strong work ethic.
No one exemplifies this philosophy better than the team’s head coach John Fox. Fox has been involved in competitive swimming and coaching since 1989, when he earned his initial and Master’s coaching certifications – credentials that have remained current despite periods of military deployment and relocation.
In addition to coaching, Fox has served as a USA Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming official since 2009 and currently holds a national certification as both a pool and open water referee. In addition, he is one of only six World Aquatics Open Water referees representing the United States. As athlete, Fox has competed with U.S. Masters Swimming since 1989. Focusing on Open Water racing since 2012, he has completed several ultra-distance swims, most recently, a 11.5-mile swim – yes, swim, not run – in July, which he completed in 6 hours and 41 minutes.
What is more, Fox leads practice either before hoping on a Chinook or comes directly from the Knox Army Heliport to the pool. A Chinook crew member since 1987 and having accumulated over 3,200 flight hours, he currently serves as a CH-47F Flight Engineer out of Knox.
In developing young athletes, Fox focuses on each swimmer’s performance in the pool as well as their growth as an individual. Workouts are designed towards higher-level competitive goals for each season but are always tailored to meet each swimmer’s personal objectives and development. What sets WAC apart for Fox is its “uniquely strong connection to the military community—over 90% of our families are active-duty or military-affiliated”. Understanding the challenges that come with frequent relocations, the team attends newcomers’ briefings each month and, when a family is preparing to PCS, Fox helps research swim programs near their new duty station to ensure a smooth transition and continued athletic growth for their swimmer.
One of the most exciting recent highlights is, according to Fox, the growth of the team’s culture driven by an influx of new and younger swimmers. It’s also been especially inspiring for Fox to witness the tremendous growth many athletes have made over the last 6 months, with several swimmers cutting more than10 seconds in individual events and others competing the very first time and establishing times.
It is not all about competition, but for a swimming team that practices swimming laps, building connection becomes with its own challenges. Not surprisingly, the team has expanded the number of fun team-building events that aren’t tied to competition, giving swimmers of all ages the opportunity to bond, stay motivated, and truly enjoy being part of something larger than themselves. Indeed, Lindsey Mitchell, a parent, states that Fox excels “at fostering a cohesive environment through fun and competitive activities.”
This is attested to by younger swimmers’ enthusiastic recount of the most recent water polo game that brought swimmers from all three-competency levels of the team together. Ava Mitchell, age 8, who joined the team this summer and whose favorite stroke is backstroke, says that one of her favorites during practice is diving for the submarine in the deep end of the pool and having some friendly competition with her sister and other swimmers.
Having been introduced to the Wiregrass Aquatics Club by friends, Lindsey Mitchell explains, both Ava and her sister Kira decided to join after a tryout and meeting the other team members and families. Since joining only a few weeks back, Lindsey Mitchell, herself a former competitive swimmer, highlights, both of her daughters have improved in both technique and endurance. A program like WAC, Lindsey Mitchell emphasizes, is “incredibly beneficial because it gives the kids an opportunity to make friends, enjoy the water in a safe environment and gives them a competitive edge in the sport of swimming.”
Military and local families come together helping each other as they carpool their kids to and from the pool, represent WAC to in-processing families at the newcomers’ welcome, and provide support to one another be it general advice from equipment questions to guiding new families at their first swim meet.
Venessa Calderon, who has come to the Flynn pool for her children’s swimming lessons over the summer, says she was excited to learn that there was a youth swimming team on Ft. Rucker. “It was great seeing them training at the pool”, she adds highlighting that she is impressed by the swimmers’ dedication demonstrated by them training several mornings throughout summer break. Not surprisingly, the team has swimmers, who learned to swim at the Flynn and indoor pools with the MWR Aquatics program before successfully trying out and transitioning to the swimming team. On the other end, older swim team members became lifeguards this Spring and now remind their fellow team members not to run on deck. It’s a big family, indeed.
David Miller, a junior at Enterprise High School, explains that WAC has helped him grow both as an athlete and as a person. While David Miller is working on taking less breaths in the 50m freestyle swim and dropping times overall, swimming has significantly improved his endurance and made him both physically and mentally stronger. Personally, being a member of WAC has taught David Miller leadership qualities and introduced him to teaching others. Called “a big fish”, as David Miller swims in the highest competency level, the gold group, other team members appreciate his feedback, encouragement, and guidance. Asked about what he would say to someone considering joining the team, David Miller has a simple and clear message “it’s a great experience with great people.”
This is echoed by Stephen Clements, who arrived with his family from Australia earlier this year. Having chosen WAC for its convenient and safe location on post, Clements points out that Fox’s focus on fundamentals and the frequency of training has significantly helped to improve his son George’s endurance and technique. The older swimmers, Clements points out, are outstanding leaders and great role models for his son. Having heard about WAC from neighbors, Clements highlights that “being able to participate in a sport his son enjoyed back in Australia has been very beneficial.” In addition, being part of a team broadened his son’s friend group beyond his school classmates. Many swim team members participate in other sports and activities that George is now involved in, which has given him a sense of belonging and purpose since arriving.
Training is not only fun and good for swimmers both physically and mentally, it also pays off. This past June, WAC participated in the Water World invitational meet hosted by the Dothan Dolphins, with some of its younger swimmers bringing home medals for the team. The swim meet was topped off by an invitation to a fun evening at Water World by the organizers for all participants and their families, with some of the younger swimmers having way too much fun in the wave pool’s deep end. After a short break, the team now at about 30 members) is getting ready to make waves at the upcoming meets in Troy on August 23rd and 24th, Dothan in September, Auburn in October, and, again, Dothan in November for, local readers might guess correctly, the Peanut Festival Swim Meet.
Jacqueline Miller, who took over as President of WAC this Spring, is very proud of the team’s growth and achievements as well as new family members stepping up into board positions given the to-be-expected turnover of families over the past few months. The growth of the swimming team family, Jacqueline emphasizes, “would simply not be possible without community support.” This year alone, community grants allowed the team to purchase much needed training equipment and soon a starter system will be added allowing the team to practice competition starts.
Jacqueline Miller’s goal as president is to continue updating and adding to the team’s training equipment, including the purchase of timing devices to time swimmers and have mock-meets to familiarize swimmers and their families with meet events and structure in general. Stephen Clements also acknowledges that the team benefits from great parent leadership that is building a program that enables the “kids to thrive in swimming.”
All of this, Jaqueline Miller emphasizes, would, of course, not be possible without the continuing support of and coordination with the Ft. Rucker Aquatics program. In the future, Jacqueline Miller concludes, the team aspires to host its own meet and help organize other swimming events on post welcoming all athletes with a passion for water.
After practicing in the early morning hours at the Flynn Outdoor Pool over summer, the team recently shifted back to an afternoon and evening practice schedule with the start of the school year in the wiregrass area. The swim team is always open to beginner level and elite swimmers and tryouts can be scheduled on an individual basis. The team is divided into three practice groups ranging from swimmers in the bronze group with little or no competitive experience able to swim 25 yards in freestyle and backstroke to elite swimmers in the gold group experienced in competitive swimming who train more rigorously to prepare for high levels of competition at the State and National level.
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