January 04, 2025

Newton YMCA announces 100-mile swim club for 2020

By Dustin Teays

The Newton YMCA recently announced it will implement a 100-mile club in 2020 where members can try and swim 100 miles throughout the year to earn things like a t-shirt and be invited to a banquet. (Dustin Teays)

This initiative was brought in by the new aquatics director Nick Shelton. The program isn’t new to Shelton but he said it allows for members to have a way to swim while also holding themselves accountable.

“I have done this before at other YMCAs,” Shelton said. “People are like, ‘hey I want to swim’ but a lot of people don’t follow through.”

One hundred miles in a year isn’t the furthest people can go. The rewards start at 100 miles. Members will receive a T-shirt and can attend a banquet held for all those who complete 100 miles or more. Those with 200 miles will get a bag, T-shirt and banquet and 300 plus miles gets you the banquet, T-shirt, bag and YMCA water bottle.

“If you swim about two miles every week it will take you about fifty weeks to do it,” Shelton said of swimming 100 miles.

Swimming one mile is 32 down and backs in the YMCA pool, but Shelton mentioned swimmers can also record shorter distances such as a quarter mile in the binder by the water fountain.

“You just mark them off with a pen or something or the lifeguard can do it,” Shelton said.

The shirts that will be given to those that swim the 100 miles or further will get a T-Shirt that Shelton said could contain things like 100 Mile Swim Club and Newton YMCA but he is open to suggestions too.

“If you want to help design it you know send me ideas, I am all for that,” Shelton said.

To participate in this program you need to be a member of the Newton YMCA who is 16 or older and pay a $10 fee that is good for the whole year of the program according to Shelton. To sign up you also need to go to the Newton YMCA location.

“To register they need to come into the welcome center and talk to the front desk and they can get them registered,” Shelton said.

Shelton hopes that this program helps get more people interested in swimming throughout the next year and beyond. Even though it is the first year of this program at the Newton YMCA Shelton is excited for it.

“I am going to try to do it too, I want to lead by example. I am going to try to swim a hundred miles in a year and hopefully that makes other people want to do it too,” Shelton said.

Contact Dustin Teays at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or dteays@newtondailynews.com