Carmel Swim Academy is one part of the larger Carmel Swim Club community. Carmel Swim Club’s mission is teaching excellence through swimming, for life. CSA offers a doorway to swimming through dynamic aquatics programming, including group swim lessons. To date, we’ve shared the stories of 13 Carmel Swim Club alumni. These videos detail the lasting impact swimming––particularly swimming with Carmel––has on their lives. The overall takeaway? The relationships you forge in the pool, with your coaches, teammates, and yourself, provide an enduring touchstone throughout life. Though diverse in their experiences each of these swimmers would encourage your family to “test the waters” and give swimming a try.

We’ll continue to feature new videos. In the meantime, if you’ve missed any of our past impact stories, you can find them all here:

Fall 2020 Series

  • Rhiannon Sheets: Rhiannon graduated from Carmel High School in 2011 and returned to Carmel Swim Club as a full-time coach in 2015. Her unique perspectives on the importance of swimming as both an athlete and a coach are incredible to listen to.
  • Jack Belford: Jack’s family inspired a competitive streak within him that urged him to get in the pool while he was watching his sister’s practices. He encourages young athletes to treasure their relationships.
  • Amanda McCloughan: Amanda loved that Carmel Swim Club was a diverse organization with individuals of all different backgrounds and swimming abilities. Raising her young daughter in North Carolina, Amanda has fantastic insights on why water safety and learning to swim are important for every child.
  • Elliot Johns: Elliot relies on the work ethic he developed in the pool in his work as an Orthopedic Surgery Resident today, “Keep going, keep grinding, and come out better for it.”
  • Lacey Locke: Swimming helped shape Lacey into a confident young woman. Lacey appreciates how Carmel Swim Club taught her to get along with all types of people and taught her to be her own best advocate.
  • Elliott ChenElliott’s time with CSC helped him learn to focus only on the things he can control. Today, Elliott is an Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Resident, and makes an effort to concentrate his effort on how he specifically can contribute in stressful situations and be a source of calm to his colleagues.

Spring 2020 Series

  • Ryan Zukerman: Ryan reflects on the sense of joy he gained and maintained throughout his time swimming and the lasting power of the relationships he forged through Carmel Swim Club.
  • Emy DiBenigno: Emy started swimming as a result of her older siblings’ involvement in the sport. Looking back now, Emy is impressed with the strength of community swimming surrounded her with.
  • Daniel Hasler: Daniel’s desire to join Carmel Swim Club stemmed from getting to know great people and wanting to spend more time with them. Daniel talks about the literal and figurative ways “swimming takes you places.”
  • Brendan and Lauren Joyce: Brendan Joyce met Lauren Stauder through Carmel Swim Club. Now married, the Joyces spoke to us together about their memories and the importance of learning to swim. 
  • Missy McCracken: Missy was part of the Carmel High School Girls Swimming and Diving Team that initiated the current streak of 34 IHSAA state championships. A swim coach and a swim mom, Missy is passionate about growing the love for our sport.
  • Matt Segar: Swimming was part of Matt’s life for 19 years. Now a second year Internal Medicine Resident at the University of Texas Southwestern, Matt shares how his Carmel swimming experience uniquely prepared him for success in his career.
  • Margaret Ramsey:  Margaret’s enduring message from swimming with CSC? Embrace every opportunity to spend time doing what you love with the people you care about and who care about you. 

Are you a CSC alum who is interested in being featured? We’d love to talk with you! Contact Maggie (mmestrich@carmelswimclub.org, 317-432-6546) to schedule your interview.