"A History of Excellence in the Pool"

2009 

Division 2 Championships- 3rd Place

82 Sea Turtles swam at Divisionals!

NEO Y League Championships- 7th overall

55 Sea Turtles swam at Leagues!

Undefeated vs. Dual Meet Opponents

Ashland Flip-Flop Invitational- 3rd Place

Wooster Sea Sprite Open- 2nd Place

Christmas Cadet Invitational- 1st Place

1200+ Improvement Ribbons Earned!!

9 Swimmers at Zone Championships

2008 

Northeast Ohio YMCA Small Team Division Champions!

Copley Invitational- 3rd Place

Sea Sprite Open- 2nd Place

2007 

Wooster "B" Meet- 3rd Place

Ashtabula Invitational- 2nd Place

Sea Sprite Open-3rd Place

2006 

NEO Y Small Team Champions

Copley Invitational- 3rd Place

2005 

Lorain Invitational- 3rd Place

Wooster "B" Meet- 1st Place

The philosophy of our swim team is one that states: ”Everybody swims and everybody wins.” All West Shore Y swimmers swim in every meet. Improvement and goal setting are the ideals that are stressed. It is our belief that every swimmer can improve if they practice hard and commit themselves to the goals they have set.

YMCA programs and membership services strive to develop Respect, Responsibility, Caring, and Honesty among members. The West Shore Y Swim Team also encourages development of these values.

The Elyria YMCA was first chartered in 1911. The Court Street building (no longer standing) opened in 1912 and featured a 4-lane 20-yard pool. Since that time, thousands of men, women and children have learned to swim at the Elyria Y. Competitive swimming for men and women existed at our Y in the 1960’s as evidenced by trophies in our display cases, but there are no records available as to when competitive swimming first began at the Elyria YMCA.

With the opening of the Washington Avenue pool in 1972, competitive swimming in Elyria was raised to a new awareness level. The new 25- yard 6-lane pool with spectator seating generated an increased interest in competitive swimming in Elyria. Along with this new pool, came a new volunteer coach by the name of Dave Wessely. The Elyria YMCA Swim Team now had the room to grow and someone with staying power to guide this growth. Dave Wessely coached the team for 27 years, retired in the 1998 -99 season and is back again to help out.

From 1972 to present, the Sea Turtles Swim Team has averaged over 100 swimmers each season. These swimmers range in age from 5 to 18 and come from all over Lorain County and now will include Cuyahoga County. Many of the current members of our swim team are second- generation Elyria Y Swim Team members, with one or both parents having swum on the team. In the recent history (1972 to present) Elyria has been the North East Ohio League Champion in 1999, 1991, 1990, 1988, 1986, 1985, 1984, 1979, 1978 and in 1976. We were the league runner-up in 1997, 1992, 1989,1983,1982,1981, 1980 and in 1977. Most of the years in between we finished in 3rd place as we did in 2000. The Elyria YMCA Swim Team sent swimmers to the Y National Championship Meet every year from 1973 – 1995.

The former Elyria Y is now the West Shore YMCA Swim Team.  It is a highly competitive team with a rich- winning tradition. However, regardless of whether a meet is won or lost, the most important measure of our team’s success is the sense of belonging and team unity that working towards a common goal brings about.