Lynn swim coaches discuss summer swimming spots, safety issues

Although the start of the school year is fast approaching, there is still a bit of summer left, and still plenty of time for some summer swimming.Several Lynn high school coaches shared their favorite swimming spots in a region that has many of them.”The back side of Crane’s Beach,” said Tech coach Brad Tilley, who is in his 34th year coaching the Tigers. “It’s the most beautiful, gorgeous estuary around. We raft the boats up, get them together and have a lot of camaraderie. It’s just gorgeous, and the water is nice and warm.”Closer to home, Tilley said, “We’re so lucky to have all these things ? the stretch of beaches from Nahant to Swampscott is tremendous.”St. Mary’s coach Michelle Brewster, in her fifth season with the Spartans said she also likes Nahant Beach, in part for the ocean and the sun.Classical’s Denise Silva also made a case for the local YMCA.”The Y is wonderful,” she said, “because it’s well supervised. (Swimming) offers a very important life skill. It’s so important for everyone to learn how to swim, whether they’re an adult or an adult raising a child.”While it might seem that the summer might also be a good time for student-athletes to hone their technique at their favorite swimming spots, sometimes that isn’t the case.”I try to get my kids to swim in the summer,” Brewster said. “A lot have summer jobs or go away with their families. It’s kind of tough. I do my best to keep them in the water all year round.”Of the current Spartans, she estimated that three are swimming this summer, with quite a few others using their experience to serve as beach lifeguards. As for Revere’s Eddie Traniello, she said, “He’s my surfer. He posted something about being out on the water surfing.” She quipped, “‘You should be swimming, not surfing!'”In addition to being a way of staying cool on hot days, summer swimming can help student-athletes stay competitive. Brewster said that of her team’s Catholic Central League rivals Bishop Fenwick, Arlington Catholic and Austin Prep, 80 percent of student-athletes swim all year round.In all water-related activities, there are safety issues to consider. Last month, the issue of safe swimming was underscored when Lynn Classical student Salim Fort drowned in Breeds Pond. He was 15 years old.”You’d have to believe that among his peers, it had to open up some eyes, for them to understand how tragic the accident is and how precious life is,” Silva said. “It’s easy to underestimate your ability once you’re in the water.”While Silva did not know Fort personally, she said, “Classical’s a tight community. It’s so unfortunate, truly heartbreaking. May he be resting in peace ? From what I read, he seemed like a tremendous young man, full of hope and promise.”This fall, Tech will hold a swim clinic for “all the kids who want to learn how (to swim),” Tilley said. “A lot of kids don’t know how.”Tilley said that while Fort’s death was not the reason for the clinic, the clinic “is a good thing to have” because of it.