Courtesy Photo Several members of the Thunder Bay Schooners swim club will compete in Germany in March. Pictured left to right are: front: Liam Heraghty, Maddy Szymanski, Andrew Dargis and John Short; back: Rachel Suszek, Kara Short, Mia Lenning, Nicholas Dargis, Garet McQuarrie, Izzy Szymanski, Tanner Male-King and Evie Bicker. Not pictured are Ben Adamiak, Logan Mill, Tilly Williams and coach DeAnn Carter.

The Thunder Bay Schooners (TBS) Swim Club has been invited to compete in an international swim meet this season. Fifteen swimmers and their families are headed to Bad Bergzabern, Germany where the kids will swim in a pentathlon meet alongside age group swimmers from around the world.

On March 9, the team will travel to Bad Bergzabern to represent their club, hometown and the United States in the ninth Internationales PAMINA Nachwuchsschwimmfest Challenge Trophy of EU Kommission.

The team will hold practices during the week before events get underway March 14 and 15. The meet consists of 100 meter races in each of the four strokes – back, butterfly, breast and freestyle – and a 200 meter Individual Medley, and will be attended by the teams of approximately 30 nations including Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, England, Israel, Italy, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. After completion of events on Sunday, swimmers get to mingle with those from other countries at a dance and awards ceremony.

 “The Schooners will be the sole team coming from the U.S. this year,” Schooners coach DeAnn Carter said. “Because we are a club team, we don’t typically get to travel together; each swimmer gets him or herself to meets with family members. Traveling and competing together on this scale is an incredible opportunity. The kids will create lifetime memories in and out of the pool.”

Swimmers attending include: Ben Adamiak,16; Evie Bicker, 12; Andrew Dargis,15; Nicholas Dargis,12; Liam Heraghty,15; Mia Lenning,14; Tanner Male-King,11; Garet McQuarrie,14; Logan Mill,11; John Short,14; Kara Short,12; Rachel Suszek,17; Izzy Szymanski,11; Madison Szymanski,15; and Tilly Williams,15. Carter and fellow coaches Joe Roesner and Ellie Siegert will also attend. 

Since not all TBS club members will attend, each participating swimmer is responsible for the costs associated with the experience.

Businesses and individuals interested in supporting travel expenses for the kids, or to help provide matching competition swimwear/warm up suits, are asked to contact the Thunder Bay Schooners Board at info.tbsst@gmail.com. or connect with Coach Carter at (817) 528-1342.