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Margate Swim Team more than Competitive
• Margate Motion builds character, fitness and social ability
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Wednesday,
July 29, 2009
After a five-year hiatus, the Margate Motion swim team is back. Led by Coach Eric Smith Norman and sister Kaitlin, Motion took home a trophy this year, competed in four meets and won 100 ribbons.
“I’m proud to bring it back,” said Norman. “It’s our first year and the team has done well.”
Swimming for Motion as a five-year-old in 1995, Norman, now a University of Florida business student, has revived the team’s spirit, turning 28 kids between ages 5 and 15 into South Florida Recreational Swim League Champs.
“But there's much more to Motion than competing and winning,” said Norman. Not only does the team have exceptional talent, said the 21-year-old UF Junior, he’s seen Motion build character, expose kids to teamwork and fitness, and become a platform for making friends and socializing. Studies conducted by the Long Island Aquatic Club point to "swimming buddies" often becoming lifelong friends.
“It’s amazing how many kids I’ve seen come out of their shells,” Norman said.
Margate resident and Motion Mom, Linda Williams, says the team has helped her 14-year-old son Christopher become more disciplined and more aware of his body and nutrition. After just one year of lessons, Chris placed numerous times in various swimming events for Motion and has dreams of swimming in the Olympics one day.
Swimming is an ideal sport for kids and teenagers, said Norman. It’s a low-impact, full-body workout that strengthens the heart and cardiovascular system and improves the delivery of oxygen to muscles. In addition, swimming imparts life-skills such as time management, self-discipline and sportsmanship, say experts at USA Swimming, the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States.
Margate Motion is good for kids with special needs, said Kaitlin. One Motion swimmer with Asperger's (a form of Autism) experienced amazing success this past season. In addition to learning how to swim, participating in Motion has led to opportunities for socialization and a familiarization with the dangers of drowning, the leading cause of death in Autistic children nationwide.
Margate Motion is expanding its swim season to include fall and spring. Parents interested in enrolling their child can call the Calypso Cove Aquatic Facility at 954-974-4566.
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Copyright Cassius Group 2009
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