The swim team at Riverpoint Sports & Wellness recently wrapped up its Summer League.
The Piranhas finished third in the five-team league, but for head coach Becky Caalim, learning is the most important thing for her swimmers.
Caalim, who has been coaching at Riverpoint since 2008, said their summer swim league team had about 65 kids this summer, ranging in age from 4-17. The Piranha program is designed to hone and improve swimming skills.
“This is a learning team,” Caalim said. “It’s for first-time swimmers with knowledge and background in swimming who don’t know how to compete. We teach them how to be competitive swimmers.”
Caalim is certainly qualified to teach. The Farmington native has been swimming competitively since she was 6 years old. Caalim swam at Farmington High School and swam distance at the University of New Mexico, where she graduated from in 1985. She is currently the head swim coach at Hope Christian High School, where she’s been since 2014.
“Riverpoint is a great starting point,” Caalim said. “Once these kids become proficient, a lot of them move on to year-round swim teams and swim in high school. It’s really fun to see kids I coached at Riverpoint at high school meets.”
The Riverpoint swim team will be back next summer, and Caalim recommends any young swimmer who is looking to improve should sign up.
“It’s not just about learning how to swim and becoming stronger,” Caalim said. “We also do social activities; it’s a great opportunity for kids to get know other kids in the community.”
