George Washington High School sophomore Haley Hemsworth takes a break between swim practices. The 16-year-old swims for the high school in the winter, South Hills Swim Club in the summer and HYCAT year-round.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Most people think of swimming as a summer recreational activity, but it is also a popular year-round sport. When the weather gets cold, competitive swimmers head inside to continue their sport throughout the winter. Haley Hemsworth, a sophomore at George Washington High School, has been swimming for 11 years. She started when she was 5.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Most people think of swimming as a summer recreational activity, but it is also a popular year-round sport. When the weather gets cold, competitive swimmers head inside to continue their sport throughout the winter.
Haley Hemsworth, a sophomore at George Washington High School, has been swimming for 11 years. She started when she was 5.
"My mom got me started in swimming," the 16-year-old said. "My little brother and sister swim, too."
Both of Hemsworth's parents, Josh and Cindy, were competitive swimmers. Her mother is also a swim coach.
Swimming is a major part of Hemsworth's life. She swims for three different teams, including the South Hills Swim Club in the summer.
"I practice two days a week from November to February for George Washington's swim team," she said. "I also do HYCAT swimming. I practice four to five days a week for that."
HYCAT is a year-round swimming program designed for youth. Its goal is to help kids advance in competitive swimming while teaching sportsmanship and other life skills. There are two HYCAT programs in West Virginia, one in Charleston and one in Huntington.
"My favorite event is probably the 100- or 200-meter breaststroke," Hemsworth said.
There are four main strokes in the competitive swimming program: freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke. Swimmers compete in both short and long distance races. There are also team relays for boys and girls.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Most people think of swimming as a summer recreational activity, but it is also a popular year-round sport. When the weather gets cold, competitive swimmers head inside to continue their sport throughout the winter.
Haley Hemsworth, a sophomore at George Washington High School, has been swimming for 11 years. She started when she was 5.
"My mom got me started in swimming," the 16-year-old said. "My little brother and sister swim, too."
Both of Hemsworth's parents, Josh and Cindy, were competitive swimmers. Her mother is also a swim coach.
Swimming is a major part of Hemsworth's life. She swims for three different teams, including the South Hills Swim Club in the summer.
"I practice two days a week from November to February for George Washington's swim team," she said. "I also do HYCAT swimming. I practice four to five days a week for that."
HYCAT is a year-round swimming program designed for youth. Its goal is to help kids advance in competitive swimming while teaching sportsmanship and other life skills. There are two HYCAT programs in West Virginia, one in Charleston and one in Huntington.
"My favorite event is probably the 100- or 200-meter breaststroke," Hemsworth said.
There are four main strokes in the competitive swimming program: freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke. Swimmers compete in both short and long distance races. There are also team relays for boys and girls.
George Washington's swim team holds its practices at the University of Charleston because there is no facility at the high school. The team shares the UC pool with other swim programs, including HYCAT.
"We have meets almost every Saturday," she said of the frequency of high school competitions.
Hemsworth has high hopes for her team. "Our goal is to win both the regional and state meets," she said.
From past years, she predicts Morgantown High School will be George Washington's girls' biggest rival. (Last year, Morgantown edged out GW by six points for the state girls' title.)
Hemsworth is an accomplished swimmer. "I hold two relay records at Windermere Pool," she said. "And I also have a few individual records."
Along with swimming, Hemsworth has kept busy with a few other sports. "I've played soccer, lacrosse and church basketball," she said.
Hemsworth plans to continue swimming for the rest of her high school years and possibly beyond.
"My goal is to swim through college, but it depends how I do in high school," she said.
For more information on HYCAT swimming, visit www.hycat.org.
Get Connected