Moses Lake Manta Rays start new program

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Manta Rays swim program is implementing a new pre-competitive swim program next month.

The pre-competitive program will focus on getting prospective swimmers involved with the Manta Rays through a low-pressure environment, head coach Steve Witcher said.

“We have a lot of kids who have great interest in being involved with our program,” he said. “We want to attract those kids who have a great interest in swimming to get involved in our low-pressure, low-competition pre-competitive program.”

The Moses Lake Manta Rays have a tradition of providing a fun and successful swimming environment for participating swimmers to develop swimming, conditioning and life skills, Witcher said.

The Manta Rays’s pre-competitive program is available for swimmers 7 to 11 years of age and Witcher said the program provides swimmers an opportunity to be involved in a team environment.

“We are trying to get kids involved so they have an attachment to a team,” he said. “We offer them a nice learning situation indoors when the weather starts to cool down.”

In addition to providing prospective swimmers with an opportunity to learn the sport through non-competitive means, Witcher said the pre-competitive program is an opportunity for the swimmers’ parents to learn the sport as well.

“The parents will be educated in the same process without being pressured with too much involvement and too many hours,” he said. “We are a local youth program and we are trying to introduce our program to more people. The hope is to get more kids involved and introduce them to the sport in a fun, low-key environment.”

The program will run Mondays through Fridays between 5 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and registration for the pre-competitive program begins Monday, Oct. 5 and Witcher will begin holding tryouts for the program Saturday, Oct. 3.

Prospective students will be required to swim one length of the high school pool.

Cost for the program is $60 per month and swimmers will not be billed for months in which they do not participate. Swimmers will also need to pay a $65 annual insurance fee.

For more information about the program or to schedule a personal tryout, contact Witcher at 509-431-7222.

“This is a great opportunity,” Witcher said of the program.