Six swimmers from the Durango Swim Club swam some of the fastest times around to qualify for a pair national-level events recently. Erin Knight, Mckenzie Rion and Elin Mischler all raced in the 14-and-over 2022 Short Course Senior Zones meet, held at Dixie State College in Utah.

U14 swimmers Cassidy Scott, Denny Woods and Jake Sandau, meanwhile, raced at the Southwest Age Group Regionals in Clovis, California.

“They’re in the upper stages of the sport,” said club coach Brandon Walker. “You don’t see anyone from small teams qualifying for these meets. It’s almost unheard of.”

All the swimmers qualified in at least two events, and they clocked their fastest times in the meets.

“They did great. They all had personal bests,” Walker said. “In swimming, that’s what we strive for – being the best swimmers that they can be. Growing as athletes and growing as individuals is big for us.”

The younger athletes had to compete in a bigger regional to qualify, going up against top teams from California and Nevada, among others.

“It’s a big deal to get that experience at a young age,” Walker said. “It shows them what the competition is like in the western U.S. and sets them up for success later on.”

The club operates year round, with its main, short-course season from September to March, and the long-course season goes from May to July. With six levels, from beginner to the senior platinum swimmers, the club’s numbers ebb and flow. Walker said about 75 kids are in the club, and 40 of them compete frequently. The club also hired two additional coaches in August, bringing its total to four.

“The goal is to get these kids to their peak potential, but keep it enjoyable,” Walker said. With some of the younger athletes, for instance, he says he tries to keep it “a little fluffy” to avoid burning kids out, which he admitted is big with younger kids in the sport.

On the other hand, he said Rion and Knight can’t have too much fluff in their routines. Both are Durango High School seniors and are gearing up to swim in college.

Rion and Knight qualified for the Class 4A state swim meet for DHS and have signed letters of intent to compete in college.

“That’s exciting as a coach,” Walker said. “I’ve worked with them for the last four or five years.”

The club, which has operated since 1958, has continued moving forward, becoming a USA Swimming Safe Sport recognized club while raising funds in hopes of buying starting blocks for the Durango Rec Center.

The club spent two years working to become a Safe Sport recognized club, which it achieved in the last year.

Brigette Cook, Durango Swim Club board member, said it helps the athletes know which behaviors are acceptable and which aren’t while also giving the club’s coaches something to lean on.

“As a coach, it builds awareness that I need to be careful about what I say and keep clear boundaries,” Walker said. “It also educates parents on their appropriate behaviors and protects them, me and the athletes. I think it’s something that is needed across the country in youth sports.”

Some of the Safe Sport best practice guidelines include having practices open for observation by parents, avoiding peer-to-peer relationships between coaches and athletes, avoiding favorites, discouraging gift giving and minimizing touching. And if a coach needs to touch an athlete as part of instruction, the coach should so so in direct view of others and inform the athlete of what he/she is doing before the initial contact. Appropriate interaction, the guidelines say, are high-fives fist bumps, side-to-side hugs and handshakes.

Cook said she believes the Durango Swim Club is the first club on the Western Slope to be certified as a Safe Sport. USA Swimming also lists Safe Sport clubs on its website, allowing parents to locate them.

To raise money for some new equipment, the swim club will host its inaugural Splash of Color 5K Fun Run on April 30 at the Durango Rec Center. The club’s swimmers will spread out on the course, and when runners come by, they’ll throw some biodegradable colored powder at them.

“It’s a way for us to do some team bonding,” Walker said, noting the swimmers will be divided into groups outside of their normal buddies.

The run will begin at the rec center’s pavilion, go along the river trail to Schneider Park and return along the same path. At the end, participants will gather again at the pavilion for an end of race color blast.

The run is a fundraiser. The club is trying to replace the starting blocks at the Durango Rec Center pool, which have been there for over 20 years, Walker said. He said the current blocks are so slick the swimmers have to put a towel on top of them so they don’t slip off.

“All of the proceeds will directly impact the athletes,” Walker said. “We have kids swimming great times, but they’re doing it on blocks that are 20 years old. It will give us better opportunities for training our athletes. And it’s better for the pool to have something better and safer.”

The club plans to buy the eight starting blocks, which Cook said will cost between $40,000 and $50,000, and then basically donate them to the city.

People can register right up until April 29, but to the registration deadline is midnight Monday to be guaranteed a shirt and color packet. Walker said if they miss the deadline, they can still register and just show up the race in a white T-shirt to get the full experience.

Registration for the race, and more information on the club, is available at DurangoSwimClub.org.