As the air becomes chillier, swimmers are ending 2024 with a bang! and welcoming 2025 with aspiration. These past 2 weeks, swimmers ranging from the pre-team all the way up to the Elite group competed in the final meets of the 2024 half of the season. Azure athletes who were 12 and under competed with not only their swimming peers, but also the jolly man himself—Santa. Meanwhile the team’s 13 and older swimmers swam in the 34th annual Winter championships. Both competitions were chilly, but both competitions had memorable highlights.
Santa Claus Meet
It was a beautiful winter morning in South Florida; the air was not freezing cold, but it wasn’t unbelievably hot like a native Floridian is used to. Although it was nice temperature
to stay dry, the same could not be said about the weather when one is wet. For the Santa Claus meet, swimmers had two objectives to keep in mind—to swim their hearts out and to stay warm. With the help of some hot chocolate and a little bit of Santa’s motivation, their objectives became a bit easier to achieve.
The Pompano Santa Claus meet was full of fun surprises and highlights. As swimmers raced against each other, they had the opportunity to watch Santa ride a helicopter and race against him. Swimmer Lorenzo Alberani raced against the jollyman and encouraged him throughout the race by giving him thumbs up and letting him know the wall was near. Alongside competing with Santa, both Lorenzo and Ellie Barbeau had some memorable highlights. Ellie swam the 50 Back and the 50 Breast for the first time and received a personal best on the 50 Free. Lorenzo received his first BB time on the 50 Fly, and personal best on the 50 Back, Breast, and Free. Despite a cold swim meet day, swimmers were able to leave the meet with a fun memory and knowing that their efforts in practice were making a difference.
WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS
Winter Champions…one of the biggest and most notorious qualifying meet in South Florida. Hosting it for 34 years, the plantation swim team welcomed teams from all over the state including Azura. From one of the swimmers playing the national anthem on his saxophone to the beautiful rainbow that decorated the sky as swimmers competed, this year was one where pleasant memories were made. Furthermore, the hard work that Azura swimmers put forth throughout the year was reflective of their performances in their races.
The championships lasted for 4 days and many notable moments were made. One such recognition was the fact that 75% of Azura swimmers improved throughout the meet and several swimmers even made it to the top 3 of their event. In that 75%, swimmer Maria Camilia Perez won the high point award in the girls 15-16 age bracket. However, the motivation that our swimmers had throughout the meet was in part due to the parental support on deck. Many parents cheered from the side lines and encouraged their swimmers throughout the day. Winter Championships 2024 was one to be remembered as Coach Gianluca put it “It was a beautiful way to finish off 2024”.
GOOD BYE 2024 AND HELLO 2025
Many new and exciting occurrences happened in 2024. We met new people, conquered our fears, and demonstrated to the world what our team meant to us. As competitive athletes, we seek ways to break our physical boundaries and redefine what it means to be a swimmer. Whether it was your swimming year or not, one thing can be for certain; the present can write your future. As we enter 2025, let us make use of our present to ensure that our 2025 is one that we are proud of.