With bright sunshine glimmering off clear blue water, Dripping Springs High swim coach Andrea McCarthy maintained a smile as big as Texas Saturday at Springs Community YMCA.
All around her was a sea of parents and fans who donned their best maroon and gold attire. All of them cheered as athletes splashed into the water at the sound of a bullhorn racing to finish first.
For McCarthy and her 47 Tiger swimming team members, a strong sense of pride went hand-in-hand with the program’s inaugural meet held at the recently built outdoor pool at the YMCA in Dripping Springs. The facility was a partnership that involved the YMCA and Dripping Springs ISD.
But the pool could also be a hub for a growing interest in swimming in western Hays County, McCarthy said. It all follows the team’s 2017 mantra of “We not me.”
“We support Wimberley because we support Hill Country swim,” McCarthy said, as the meet included both Dripping Springs and Wimberley students. “It doesn’t just mean our swimming team, but swimming in the Hill Country community. It’s been an exciting time to bring together all of those swimming communities.”
Visions of the new pool originally began when the YMCA sought to expand its Dripping Springs facility in 2007. Those improvements, which were completed in August, resulted in the addition of roughly 10,000 square feet to the facility.
One of those new additions was installation of an eight lane competition-length pool, which came as the result of a partnership between the YMCA and the school district.
“The partnership between the school district and the Y has been many years in the making. This arrangement allowed us to each leverage our resources for the greater good of the community, including DSHS students,” Dripping Springs Superintendent Bruce Gearing said in a statement. “Our swim team now has a home venue, and the district’s investment was far less than it would have been if we had tried to build a new school facility.”
McCarthy said she was brought in during the design process to provide input on the pool. Many of the features are competition elements the team didn’t have at its former training facility at Founders Pool.
“We support Wimberley because we support Hill Country swim ... It doesn’t just mean our swimming team, but swimming in the Hill Country community.” Andrea McCarthy, Dripping Springs High swim coach
Starting blocks, timing equipment and backstroke flags are training essentials the Tigers didn’t have at Founders.
The primary problem at Founders Pool was its length. At less than the standard 25 yards, the Tiger team consistently trained with a pool that was too short.
Despite the shortcomings, the Dripping Springs girls swim team reached the 2017 UIL state meet and finished as the 15th best team in the state. The program has also churned out swimmers such as current Missouri Tiger Micah Slaton, who won a gold medal at the UIL meet.
“You worry about stroke bout and those things when you’re training,” McCarthy said. “Our girls and boys team, they’re going to excel this year, now they’re able to train in a correct size pool.”
Dripping Springs sophomore swimmer Cassandra McCallum said it was nice to have a functioning pool and a new locker room facility.
The pool also alleviates other challenges at Founders, which includes “no weird ledges.” Other challenges included a lack of space to train. McCarthy said the new pool’s eight lanes will allow for the Tiger swim team to train its entire team.
Tiger sophomore Kiara Bob said it also allows the district to share the facility with neighbors.
“We couldn’t host meets because it wasn’t an official pool,” Bob said. “We had to go to other places all the time. But now we can contribute to our district.”
McCarthy also realizes how the pool can also be a boon for the rising popularity of swimming in the area.
Within a 20 minute drive from Dripping Springs are club programs such as the Nitro Swim Club and the Austin Swim Club.
With the new pool, however, Dripping Springs could one day create its own club program, which could allow residents to train their children locally.
Having the chance to show off school pride is equally a big factor for McCarthy.
“I appreciate the city and the school district for letting us use Founders Pool and being able to train there, but there isn’t that pride like this pool,” McCarthy said. “ ... where you walk in and you stand a little taller and you have a grin on your face.”
