THE SHELBYVILLE Sharks swim team coach is making waves! In late 2020, the recreational swim team’s parent board reached out to Lauren Ball, asking if she was interested in being their head coach. Ball was an NCAA Division I swimmer at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and had a reputation that preceded herself within the swimming community. Ball, a local teacher, wanted to coach a team but had not found the right opportunity. She and her husband, Ben, had moved to the area from Indiana and were still getting acquainted. So, when team parent Leigh Ann Maybee approached her about coaching, it was an exciting, no-brainer, “YES” response.
Lauren jumped in headfirst following news of her official hire as head coach. She was pleased to hear that the Sharks team had been in existence for over 20 years and had a significant history within Bedford County. However, Lauren found out there had never been a swim team associated with or backed by the public school system. Lauren desired to be a resource and front-runner for changing that fact! Due to her passion and persistence, this was the first year that high school students in Bedford County had a school-sponsored swim team of which Lauren was the coach. The team had an exciting first season. A female swimmer from Shelbyville Central High School, Grace Moody, qualified for the state swim meet.
While the school-sponsored swim team exists exclusively for high school students, the Shelbyville Shark swim team serves children of a wide range of ages, swimming abilities, and strengths. One requirement to join the team requires children to swim on their own, but swimmers can be as young as 4 years old when they join. Then, aging out happens at 18 years old. Currently, roughly 70 Sharks are on the team. Shark swimmers compete against other teams from Tullahoma, Winchester, Manchester, Sewanee, McMinnville, Fayetteville, Lewisburg, Lawrenceburg, and Athens, AL.
Swimming is something almost anyone can do. While the goal at swim meets is to beat the person next to you, the greatest sense of competition is found in improving one’s stroke performance and times, becoming the fastest Shark-version of themselves. Swimming is a great physical exercise, benefits mental health, and can turn into a life-long hobby enjoyed at any age. Swimming with the Sharks is even better as the Shark team brings about a sense of community among swimmers and their family members. -GN