The Wayland Water Warriors capped off a great season with a special celebration on June 4. Thanks to special funding from USA Triathlon, elementary and middle school participants competed under sunny skies in triathlon and “splash and dash” events.
“I ran a ‘triathlon training’ day in the Lecture Hall for the elementary students with fun activities designed to simulate a triathlon. Students enjoyed it and there was enough interest from the middle school students that we decided to stage a Splash and Dash (swim and run) for the elementary students and a (very mini) triathlon for the middle school students. We had maybe 15 Splash and Dash participants and four triathlon participants, all of whom upon completion of the race proudly wore their medals donated by USA Triathlon,” program coordinator Ed DeHoratius said.
“The whole Water Warriors group, from the student volunteers to the adult volunteers (and, for this event at least, some of their relatives) to pool management to faculty and staff at Wayland High School all pitched in to make this event a success. I want to especially recognize Karen Smyers, an Ironman World Champion and race organizer, who was instrumental in conceiving and executing the event,” he added.
Wayland Water Warriors, founded in 2011, offers free swim lessons taught by Wayland High School students to Wayland elementary and middle school METCO students. The program runs from March to June each year at the Wayland Community Pool. The program is self-funded and relies on donations including gently used swim gear like goggles, caps, towels and suits. Anyone interested in donating should contact DeHoratius at edmund_dehoratius@waylandps.org.
Swimming is a major athletic program at WHS, making Water Warriors an especially popular pathway for new swimmers. Participation among METCO students in the swim team has doubled since the advent of the Water Warriors program. Roughly one in eight WHS students spend the winter sports season competing for the swimming and diving teams. This winter, boys’ swimming won Massachusetts Division 2 Championship, keeping up the streak of first- or second-place Division 2 finishers since 2014, with a new banner planned for the WHS Field House to mark the 2025 win.
