Congratulations to the Deering/Portland RamDogs swim team on winning the Girls Class A State Championship. As noted in the report on the win, the RamDogs persevered despite a season that involved home meets 45 minutes away, practices in facilities that couldn’t support the size of the team or the rigors of competitive swimming and practice times that ranged from 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

These kids proved they could find excellence in the face of adversity; their team and coaches should be celebrated. As we celebrate the RamDogs and their Cinderella season, however, we should take a hard look at the issues underpinning this story.

Portland’s outdated public pools are in shambles. The Riverton Pool is currently closed with no reopening in sight due to structural issues and the Reiche Pool was closed for weeks due to issues with its water pump, as outlined in a Dec. 14 article in the Press Herald. Community organizations haven’t been able to fill in the gap, citing staff shortages. Even the Kiwanis pool, which offers outdoor swimming for three months in the summer, is at the end of its functioning lifespan and will in need of major overhaul and investment.

The onus to restore these facilities is not just on the City of Portland, it’s also on the community organizations that fundraise on the premise of providing water safety to kids. In 2020, the Greater Portland YMCA ended its youth swim programming in Freeport, Portland and Biddeford due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As other YMCAs reopened their programs, the Greater Portland YMCA remained shuttered. While it now offers limited programming, classes are full within moments of registration. Some parents drive their kids to weekly classes in Bath. Most have just decided it’s not worth it.

It’s long past time for Portland and its community organizations to prioritize access to aquatics facilities. A city that is surrounded by water should offer year-round programming to provide water safety instruction for children and adults. We should look at every drowning-related death in our community as an abdication of public safety.

Swimming is not just a skill; it’s a vital component of a healthy lifestyle that carries physical and mental health benefits. Swimming builds cardiovascular strength without harsh impacts on the body, making it accessible to all ages and abilities. The mental health advantages are equally significant; swimming reduces stress and boosts mood through endorphin release. For children, the activity is a boon for cognitive and social development and has been tied to advancing verbal, math and literacy skills. Swimming provides a gateway to inclusivity, offering those with physical disabilities or chronic conditions a means to improve their well-being.

While there are plenty of scientific studies that call out the benefits of swimming, I have seen the impact firsthand. As a former YMCA swim coach, I worked with first-generation swimmers who went from being afraid to put their faces into water, to competing at the State Meet – in one season. I would later see their parents taking adult swimming lessons in the same pool. The Press Herald reported on a similar story last year (“Cultural immersion takes on deeper meaning for South Portland High swim team,” March 12, 2023). Swimming can be life-changing, and teaching swimming to our newest community members can have long-term, positive impacts.

How can we better support swimming in our community?

In the short term, the City of Portland and the YMCA should pursue a public/private partnership so that functioning facilities aren’t sitting idle. In the long term, we should invest in facilities that can serve every sector of our community and provide a focal point for health and wellness. These conversations need to start now.

We can’t praise the success of the RamDogs and everything they have overcome without recognizing that there is a generation of kids behind them who will never learn how to swim because of the very same obstacles. We can do better, not just for our kids, but for our entire community.