I have asked ex-SEASTARS Swimmers to share what SEASTARS means to them and how they feel about the impact it has had on them after High School. Last night I received the following from Chelsea Murphy. She swam with us for 7 years and is now almost 21 and attending Mississippi State University. So Proud of her!
“Hi,
My name is Chelsea Murphy and I swam with SEASTARS for about 7 years and unlike any other team I was a part of, it made a difference. SEASTARS was a swim team that went beyond swimming; it taught you integrity, dedication, how to be a part of a team, and what it was like to earn something. SEASTARS would have incentives for the swimmers to earn points to go towards buying them swimsuits, goggles, swim caps, ect. which was one way that taught us how to work for things that we wanted. Being a part of this organization went beyond the pool. Being that I started swimming with SEASTARS when they were relatively new, I was able to form a very close bond with my teammates and we would always cheer for each other at the other end of the pool and motivate each other even if we were racing against each other, which I’m sure is a tradition that has not changed. To this day if I could go back and wake up at 5 a.m to be to practice at 6 a.m I would do it all over again. The coaching staff was immaculate and actually cares about how the swimmer does in and outside of the pool, and even went the extra mile to make sure that swimmers made it to practice. SEASTARS is a very unique program and I am very proud that I was and still am able to be a part of it. I would encourage anyone who is eligible to swim there to do so, and to my old teammates DO NOT QUIT! Practice hard every day and leave it all in the pool.”