Who is eligible to join Swim Lenoir?
When can I join?
How do I join?
What does it cost to join?
What other expenses should I be prepared for?
What should I bring to a meet?
A little bit of team history
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Who is eligible to join Swim Lenoir?
If you are between the ages of 5 and 18, live within a reasonable driving distance from Lenoir (you get to decide what's reasonable), love to swim and would like to consider swimming as a competitive sport, then Swim Lenoir just may be for you! We accept swimmers of all levels. Non-swimmers should consider taking swimming lessons first. The William B. Stronach, Jr. Aquatic and Fitness Center in Lenoir where the Marlins train offers an excellent lessons program!
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When can I join?
There is no better time than right now! For convenience, Swim Lenoir conducts registration blitzes at particular times of the year, but we accept new swimmers anytime.
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How do I join?
The best way is to contact one of our coaches. See our Contact Us page or send an e-mail to Coach Todd King, Coach Pat Hites, and tell one of them that you would like to become a Marlin. If you send an e-mail or leave a telephone message, don't forget to tell them how to contact you!
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What does it cost to join?
You will need to pay a $50 USA Swimming registration fee per swimmer, plus monthly Swim Lenoir dues that are based on the practice group one of our coaches assigns you to. Dues amounts are effective as of September 1, 2006. Make all checks payable to Todd King.
| Red Group |
$25/Month |
| White Group |
$30/Month |
| Silver Group |
$35/Month |
| Gold Group |
$45/Month |
| Senior Group |
$45/Month |
If there is more than one swimmer in your family, the swimmer in the highest practice group is charged full price and each additional swimmer is charged $25 per month. Back to top
What other expenses should I be prepared for?
Equipment/Apparel
- Team Racing Suit: $50 Girls / $26 Boys
- Team Cap: $7-Latex/$12 Silicone
- Goggles: $10-$18
- Team T-shirt: $12
*Team suits and team caps are required for all meets. At meets that require individual qualifying times, higher quality racing suits may be worn. See a coach for further information.
Other fees
When you sign up to swim in a meet, you will be charged entry fees usually ranging from $8 to $30per swimmer. Once you sign up, you will be charged these fees even if you do not show up for the meet.Back to top
What should I bring to a meet?
- Team suit
- Team cap
- Goggles
- Towels
- Something to drink – water, Gatorade, Powerade, juice (no carbonated drinks)
- Something to eat – healthy snacks in order to keep up the energy needed for your races. Suggestions: fruit, granola bars, bagels, trail mix, etc. AVOID candy bars and anything with a high fat content. Remember, this is a healthy sport, so eat healthy too!
- Bag to keep all of your belongings in – things will get lost if not kept together.
- Chair or blanket to sit on. We like to sit together. It is a great way to meet your friends and make new ones. We do not roam around the building or run around inside or outside. We stay in our area at all times so you do not miss your swim.
- You may also bring something to do while you wait for your next race such as handheld games, book to read, or cards.
- Put your name on all your belongings so as not to lose them. If left behind and picked up, it can be returned to you.
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A LITTLE BIT OF TEAM HISTORY
Swim Lenoir owes its existence to a great deal of cooperation, foresight, and hard work from many people throughout Caldwell County over a span of more than thirty years.
The Early Years
Back in the 1960s, the Lenoir Dolphin Swim Club was formed. The team practiced at the T. H. Broyhill Park Pool which - this may surprise you if you are new to the area - is now the Broyhill Walking Park!
The Dolphins were primarily a summer team, but many dedicated swimmers boarded a bus several times a week during winter months to practice at the School for the Deaf in Morganton. The Dolphins were very strong in their conference, the Western Piedmont Swim Association, winning numerous championships and sending many individual swimmers to the USS State Championships. When the Lenoir Aquatic and Fitness Center opened its doors in 1976, the team was able to start a year-round program. In fact, the Dolphins and Bill Stronach, Lenoir Parks and Recreation Director, were among the primary movers in getting the Aquatics Center built.
Bob Morley and his father, Paul Morley were the team's first coaches. Betsy Morley Martin (Bob's sister) took over the team in 1976 and coached the Dolphins to their last conference championship. In the late 70s and early 80s, Chuck Slaught, Linda Anderson, Cindy Abernethy, Barbara McCauley and Wesley Bryant followed.
The South Caldwell Swim Team was formed in 1976 when the Redwood Park Pool in Hudson was completed. The first coaches were Lynn Cozart and Jean Hall, followed by Reid Aldridge, Steve Watson and Gregor Way. The Granite Falls Swim Team (like the Dolphins - started in the late 1960s as a summer team) was absorbed by South Caldwell. The South Caldwell team won its conference championship in both 1981 and 1982.
The CCST Years
The Caldwell County (Marlins) Swim Team was formed in 1984 when the parents of both the Lenoir Dolphin Swim Club and the South Caldwell Swim Team decided that it was in the best interest for swimming to combine the two teams into one year-round, county-wide team. In May of 1984, CCST and the City of Lenoir hired Randy Erlenbach as Head Coach and Aquatics Director. In the first summer of CCST's existence, Randy guided 112 Marlin team members to a glorious conference championship. Numbers grew and many swimmers competed in state championships with the team reaching as high as 10th place. In 1989 Gary Isherwood became coach and Aquatics Director. Several individual swimmers did very well at the state and regional levels during this period. Scott Way was hired in 1991 and was the first Marlin coach who was not also the Aquatics Director at the LAFC. Todd King took over as skipper from 1993 - 1999, followed by Steven Morrow, Jason Moretz, Pat Hites, and Stephen Andreades.
Swim Lenoir
In the summer of 2002, a series of events unfolded giving everyone associated with the Caldwell County Swim Team a sense that something special was about to happen. The team had more than doubled in size since the summer of 2001. Pat Hites had previously announced that her family would be moving away but ended up staying in Lenoir, and the team became aware that Todd King was ready to get back on deck as a Marlin coach. Working together after the departure of Stephen Andreades, Pat and Todd successfully guided the team through the second-half of the 2002 summer season, culminating in a second place finish for the Marlin boys, a seventh place finish for the Marlin girls and a fifth place finish for the team overall at the Western Carolina Swim Association Championships. They both made it very clear that they wished to continue their collaboration and guide the team forward into the future.
Sensing the excitement that was building, the CCST Board began to discuss ways to recognize and mark the summer of 2002 as truly a watershed period for the team. From those discussions, the concept of Swim Lenoir was born. On July 25, 2002, the CCST Board voted unanimously to change the name of the organization and the team to Swim Lenoir, keeping the Marlin as the mascot. The team name change was announced to the team on Sunday, August 11, 2002 at the long-course awards party. The team was known as Swim Lenoir in competition for the first time on September 28, 2002. Fittingly, that meet was hosted by Swim Lenoir, and held at the William B. Stronach, Jr. Aquatic and Fitness Center in Lenoir.
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