DIVE BACK IN TO PANTHER SWIM

By: Corry Day

If you have any questions about the swim team please contact Coach Day at pantherswim@isb.ac.th

We are very much aware that not much time has passed since our pools sat empty and we were all home doing online fitness classes or skills lessons. But it does seem like we are putting some distance between those days and today.

Our swim team is back up to over 300 swimmers from all grades in the school. We have had more competitions and events than most seasons in the past. With more teams joining in than ever before!

In fact, we just put a bow on the annual Bangkok swimming tradition that is the “ISB Swimfest 2022”. Over 1000 swimmers from 25 schools from across Thailand visited ISB in November and it was like the event never skipped a beat. Athletes from ages 5 to 18 swam their best and competed with all their might against some of the best age group swimmers in the country. At times the swimmers themselves showed a bit of rust around the edges when it came to the process and where they should be and when. Which makes sense, considering many of the 10 and under swimmers had not been to a swim competition in their lives because of the last 3 years.

This event not only brought back joy to the athletes themselves, but also to a host of others who were in attendance. Vendors were overjoyed to have their wares on sale, parents cheered like they had never cheered before and coaches were not worried about anything but giving their kids a chance to compete. It was a holiday like atmosphere, were everyone is just happy to be there.

This has been the same theme with our swim team this year as a whole. We could not be more grateful to be back and doing what we love. Covid brought about a couple of retirements in our coaching staff, but we were incredibly fortunate to find 3 new coaches that have been great additions. Welcome Coach Toom, Coach Posh and Coach Best to the Panther Swim Team family.

With a new registrations happening in February, we are looking towards having even more new swimmers join the program.