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The first Waters
Landing Swim Team was organized in 1985, and competed in the
Gaithersburg-Germantown Fun League through the 1988 season. During
these first few seasons the team was known as the "Waters
Landing Aquatics SwimTeam" and team colors were purple and
white. In 1989 the team joined the Montgomery County Swim League
(MCSL), changed its name to "Thunder", and changed team
colors to red and black. During Thunder’s first five years in
the MCSL the team compiled an enviable 25-0 record in dual meets -
quite a feat considering that some years the team had barely enough
swimmers to fill out lanes! However as the Waters Landing community
has grown, so has our swim team. The team has more than
doubled in size seen its first swimmers graduate from college, and
continues to welcome whole new groups of "8 and Thunders".
Our Community
Waters Landing Thunder
swim team extends a sincere thank you to the Waters Landing
Homeowners Association for their support of our swim team.
Their financial support enables us to have a thriving team of 130
swimmers, develop student coaches, and maintain a consistent
experienced coaching staff. Our community recognizes the
importance of creating a positive family atmosphere where our
children can develop their swimming skills, overall confidence and
lasting friendships. Maintaining a swim team requires many
diverse skills and can be a lot of work, but at Waters Landing we
always find a way to make it an enjoyable experience for the whole
family.
To learn more about
our community please visit: http://waterslanding.org All members of
Waters Landing are eligible to join the swim team. Click here to see if your
neighborhood is part of our community.
Our League
The Montgomery County
Swim League (MCSL) sponsors competitive swimming and other
activities among the swimming pools and organizations in Montgomery
County, Maryland. The goals of the program include helping young
people establish a love for the sport of swimming, advanced aquatic
skills, teamwork, and the principles of good sportsmanship.
Waters Landing belongs
to the Montgomery County Swim League (MCSL), a league of over 90
teams and 7,000 swimmers. The league began in the late
1950’s, "to encourage informal, friendly team competition
during the summer, within a fair and wholesome environment, in
order to develop athletic skills, encourage sportsmanship and
teamwork, and foster an appreciation of the relationship between
effort and success." (MCSL rule 1)
MCSL is organized by
divisions of 6 teams, from the most competitive in A division to
the least competitive in the O division. Currently we
are in J division, where we will compete in 5
Saturday morning meets, a relay carnival and
divisionals. In addition, we have joined 5 local MCSL
teams for our B league. We will have 4 Wednesday
evening meets a B relay carnival and a Superstars meet at the
end of the season. Our Pre-team is a 6 week program
where our youngest swimmers who are comfortable with their face in
the water and able to swim 1/2 length of the pool; can learn
the skills necessary to swim 25 meters legally. Our goal is
to have most of our pre-team swimmers swim in a Wednesday night B
meet before the end of the season. There are also mini meets
for our youngest swimmers only.
The team also has a
history of having been well supported by our parents. Week after
week, season after season, people have stepped forward to do the
many jobs necessary for the meets to run smoothly. It is truly a
key ingredient to our team’s success.
While the team has been awarded many trophies over the
years, our primary goal remains what it has always been: to provide
a fun, safe, community-based activity that promotes a love for the
sport of swimming, in which all members of the family can
participate. All of us who work behind the scenes are looking
forward to another great season. GO THUNDER!
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