We all enter the world at birth knowing how to swim before even learning to walk. (This is called the bradycardic response.) Some argue that’s evidence that we were created to swim. Whatever you believe in, it’s a pretty safe bet that Annabelle Melandez and Coleman Yates never lost that love for the water, as they seem as comfortable in the water as they do out of it.
Coleman and Annabelle are each 14 years old and are in the eighth grade. They both swim for the Valwood swim team, coached by Coleman’s mom, Kelly Yates. They also swim for a local club team, Valdosta Aquatic Swim Team, owned and coached by Matt Grant, who coached swimming at The University of Georgia while attending school there. Between the two teams, Annabelle and Coleman stay in the water a good bit. The club team operates on a year-round schedule, and along with their school team schedule, the two swimmers spend six days a week, approximately three hours per day, training. This includes 5 a.m. practices before school twice a week. While the club team has been established for some time, coach Kelly Yates established the Valwood swim team in the 2017-18 school year. Under her direction, the school team has grown from four swimmers to 15 in just one year.
Read more of how these middle school athletes are leading the way in the pool:
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