Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Julie Corrigan and San Benito Aquatics Continue to Grow In and Out of the Pool
San Benito Aquatics, a small club team in Hollister, Calif., has been on the rise in recent years, and they have program and facility manager Julie Corrigan to thank for a lot of their success. Corrigan and her team were recently awarded a SWaM grant for her contributions to the team and community.
“I started out as just a parent on the team, then eight years ago I took over the swim lesson program and helped revamp that,” she said. “Then in the last two years, the high school built a new pool and we got the opportunity to help manage that, so the public and other organizations can use it. I became the program and facility manager, so I oversee all of these things.”
Hollister, which is a rural community with a large Hispanic population, isn’t known as a swimming hotbed, which can be a challenge in itself.
“Our biggest challenge is finding resources – like lifeguards,” Corrigan said. “A lot of families here aren’t that comfortable around water, and at the same time, we have to work to have enough water available to meet the needs of the community.”
The pandemic has presented other challenges, like an even more limited pool capacity; Corrigan said the SWaM grant has been a huge help in keeping the program running.
“Our pool opened in June, and we were one of the first pools in the area to reopen; but, we’ve been at 10% capacity for a year, so it’s been hard to find ways to bring in money to keep things running. The grant has had a big impact on helping us do that this year. We’re hoping to expand to some of our outreach swimmers with that.”
Corrigan’s connections outside of the swimming community have also helped her attract more swimmers and families to San Benito Aquatics.
“I’ve worked as a girl scout leader in the community, and with scouts – being in a small town, it’s great because a lot of people know each other,” she said. “By continuing to stay involved in things outside of swimming, it brings more people to swimming – being more involved in the sport, developing awareness of water safety, and continuing to grow aquatics here in Hollister.”
Corrigan hopes that the team can continue to flourish and make an impact on the kids and families within the local community.
“As a team, we don’t produce all of the national level swimmers,” she said. “We’re working on building character and that’s one of the most important things that swimming can bring to the table. Time management, team building and finding within yourself what you’re capable of. Those outweigh any championship.”
“I started out as just a parent on the team, then eight years ago I took over the swim lesson program and helped revamp that,” she said. “Then in the last two years, the high school built a new pool and we got the opportunity to help manage that, so the public and other organizations can use it. I became the program and facility manager, so I oversee all of these things.”
Hollister, which is a rural community with a large Hispanic population, isn’t known as a swimming hotbed, which can be a challenge in itself.
“Our biggest challenge is finding resources – like lifeguards,” Corrigan said. “A lot of families here aren’t that comfortable around water, and at the same time, we have to work to have enough water available to meet the needs of the community.”
The pandemic has presented other challenges, like an even more limited pool capacity; Corrigan said the SWaM grant has been a huge help in keeping the program running.
“Our pool opened in June, and we were one of the first pools in the area to reopen; but, we’ve been at 10% capacity for a year, so it’s been hard to find ways to bring in money to keep things running. The grant has had a big impact on helping us do that this year. We’re hoping to expand to some of our outreach swimmers with that.”
Corrigan’s connections outside of the swimming community have also helped her attract more swimmers and families to San Benito Aquatics.
“I’ve worked as a girl scout leader in the community, and with scouts – being in a small town, it’s great because a lot of people know each other,” she said. “By continuing to stay involved in things outside of swimming, it brings more people to swimming – being more involved in the sport, developing awareness of water safety, and continuing to grow aquatics here in Hollister.”
Corrigan hopes that the team can continue to flourish and make an impact on the kids and families within the local community.
“As a team, we don’t produce all of the national level swimmers,” she said. “We’re working on building character and that’s one of the most important things that swimming can bring to the table. Time management, team building and finding within yourself what you’re capable of. Those outweigh any championship.”