The Tampa YMCA Stingrays swim team logo.
Competitive Swim Team Succeeds with Positive Perspective
The Tampa YMCA Stingrays, a competitive swim team, had three athletes qualify for the USA Swimming Futures Championships. Anthony Murashkin, Cristian Doan and Martin Ferrebee all had cuts and times faster than the Y’s national times and one step below the Olympic Trials.
Anthony, a high school sophomore, began swimming for the YMCA when he was seven and would not want to swim for any other organization. His goal is to swim in college at an out-of-state D1 school.
Anthony worked on numerous tactics to obtain a qualifying time for the upcoming Futures meet. He shares, “I really changed my mindset. I had most of the swimming down, but I had to change how I approached swimming. I had to think more positively and with a more open mindset, and that really helped me achieve my goals.”
Alexis Mendenhall, the Tampa Y Director of Competitive Swimming shares that the athletes were determined to obtain specific times to qualify for the upcoming competition. The 2023 Futures Championships meet will take place in Ocala, FL July 26 – 29, 2023.
Alexis shares, “Despite the individual nature of swimming, we are a team working towards goals, and everyone supports each other. The success of these swimmers is in large part due to their strong abilities, great work ethic and determination. Over the past five years, the Tampa Y Swim Team has continued to surpass its goals.”
Several Tampa Y locations offer competitive swimming – the Tampa YMCA Stingrays has grown into one of the most successful teams in the Tampa area. This success has been a decade in the making! State-of-the-art pool facilities and a dedicated coaching staff have contributed to athletes’ recent achievements, including obtaining qualifying times for big meets.
About the Tampa YMCA Stingrays Competitive Team
The Tampa YMCA Stingrays is a team dedicated to advanced swimmers who are focused on swimming fundamentals, progression and athletic development. Athletes are grouped by age and ability, while building confidence in foundational skills, all four strokes and learning techniques in a fun and supportive environment.
New Tampa Family YMCA Head Coach, Matt Suits, has been with the organization for almost 10 years and continues to challenge the athletes to reach new levels. The Tampa Y Swimming program is proud to develop great athletes and great people.
He adds, "We are a tight family of athletes and parents. We have high expectations and have developed a culture that sets swimmers up for success. Competitive swimmers spend a lot of time in and out of the pool, and train for approximately 20 hours a week. They work together, have fun together and generally find strength in pushing each other to achieve their goals.”
Tampa YMCA competitive swim teams are currently offered at New Tampa Family YMCA, Campo Family YMCA and the Bob Sierra Youth and Family Center. With the Tampa YMCA Stingrays team’s success comes expansion – a fourth location is planned to open registration in May 2023 at the South Tampa Family YMCA.
If you are interested in learning more about our swim teams, check out details on swim teams at the Tampa Y or contact Alexis and Stingrays coaches at stingrays@tampaymca.org.
Published Thursday, April 20, 2023.