Future bright for Manta Rays

New swim coach optimistic after successful invitational

MOSES LAKE - More than 1,000 participants and fans surrounded the Moses Lake pool this weekend for the Moses Lake Manta Ray Sizzlin' Summer Invitational. The three-day event brings teams and supporters from the United States and Canada to participate, Manta Rays head coach Steve Witcher said.

"There are some pretty good teams from out of the area and Canada," he said. "It has an international flavor."

After the invitational concluded, Witcher said he was proud of his team's performance.

"The invite was phenomenal," he said. "The parents are great, the kids swam great. Sports have some ups and downs. Ours were mostly ups."

Witcher said it was nice to have his team perform so well after the recent history with the program. The Manta Rays have gone through numerous head coaches in the past few years.

"They have been through a number of coaches," he said. "The people lost confidence in the team because no coach would stay.

Witcher has coached swimming for 33 years and plans to stay with the Manta Rays for a while, he said.

"I think the community is great," he said. "I love the small town atmosphere. I love the home town atmosphere. It helps to get people to work more closely."

While Witcher has only been with the Manta Rays for a few months, but he said it is a great feeling for his team to perform well at the hometown swim meet.

"My kids are gonna get up and race, and that's what they did," he said. "As a new coach working with a team that has been torn apart over the years, to come together is great."

Witcher said 46 of the Manta Rays competed in the invitational.

With his team's strong performance this past weekend, Witcher said he is excited about the future of the Manta Ray swimming program.

"It would be nice to have an international star," he said. "We are a few years away from that, but we have the potential."