LHS, HHS Aquatics to host 5K

KYLE — Lehman and Hays high schools will hold a fundraiser, titled Goggle It 5K, for their respective aquatic teams on Feb. 24.

Photo by Ursula Rogers
Saul Gutierrez tosses the ball in the air at a competition in September 2023.[/caption]

The 5K is hosted by For the Love of Go, a local charity that focuses on community fitness, and will be held at LHS, located at 1700 Lehman Road, Kyle, at 8 a.m. The 3.1 miles will begin at the front of the high school, then weave through local neighborhoods before ending back at LHS.

Carla Perez, LHS reading teacher and aquatics assistant coach, explained that this is an opportunity for both schools to ensure that they have enough of a budget to have a successful year. Aquatics is a year-long course that consists of both swimming and water polo. According to Perez, water polo is a new addition to the University Interscholastic League, with the 2023-24 season as its second year.

“[The 5K] is a big fundraiser for lots of programs, lots of elementary schools,” explained Perez. “They asked us if we were interested in highlighting our program and we said, ‘We sure are’ … They have really great results.”

The funds will go toward replacing swim fins that have begun to rot due to age and purchasing swimsuits. The students are required to wear school swimsuits and they can be quite expensive.

“We don’t want any kids to not try swim or water polo because they don’t have swimsuits, so we provide the swimsuit for most of the kids,” Perez said. “We try to make sure that we have enough on hand to have everyone join.”

The schools will also utilize the money raised to enter competitions, as each student costs approximately $15-$20 at events and Perez explained that they want to continue to grow and be successful in their program.

Previously, the LHS aquatics team has had swim teams place successfully at district and go on to compete in regionals. This year, the team is sending both individuals and teams to regionals. This improvement can only come if the students have the necessary equipment needed.

“We actually have a young lady that we met at eighth grade orientation. Her dad and her have been diving, [but] we don’t have divers here,” said Perez. “We’re going to work on making sure that she can be on the swim team and be one of our divers … We want to make sure that we’re creating opportunities for kids.”

Photo by Ursula Rogers
Hays High School’s Coleman Brown attempts to score a goal in the Bi-District game in October 2023.[/caption]

Because water polo is only in its second year and the schools do not have onsite swimming pools, Perez understands that the community may not be aware of their programs. The schools currently remedy this by partnering with local swimming pools, such as the Hays Communities YMCA. Another company that will soon be entering Kyle is Nitro Swimming, which Perez noted that she is excited about because it will only mean more support for the aquatics' students.

The coach emphasized that LHS and HHS want to simply inform the community about the program and hope to gain further support from the community.

“Just come to our events. It’s really hard; I know it’s really hard because we do a lot of stuff during the school day [because] we’re limited by our schedule with YMCA,” explained Perez.

To sign up for the race, visit . Although it will be available onsite, early registration is preferred. Perez noted that donations are available when signing up or in-person at the event.

After, For the Love of Go will evenly split the profits between LHS and HHS aquatic teams.

“It’s a great way to exercise [and] if kids are looking for a group, it’s kind of a small team right now, [but] we have a very family-oriented group. We really do take care of the kids [and] it’s a great way to participate in high school,” Perez said. “We’re probably going to be looking at a natatorium in the next few bonds … The growth that Hays CISD is having, just being supportive of the growth, be supportive of the program.”