Chatham’s Swim Team Decimated, Forcing Local Swimmers To Abandon Ship

The Chatham Y Pool Sharks have been a staple in the Chatham-Kent sports community for years.

The continued closure of local pools has delivered a crushing blow to the club, decimating the organization and sending local swimmers out of the area, potentially permanently.

The organization has lost their top swimmers to the Windsor Aquatic Club, while recent Provincial and National Team members Quinn Matteis and Genevieve Sasseville will also swim with the Ontario Swim Academy.

Along with the departure of the club’s elite swimmers, the Chatham Pool Sharks also lost three coaches, including head coach Brian Lindsay. Other members of the Pool Sharks management are expected to step down.

Members of the Club issued several pleas to the Municipality, as well as the local YMCA to open pools for competitive lane swimming, which were not heeded.

With what most would consider as the top half dozen swimmers in Chatham-Kent in recent years leaving the area to now train and compete with other clubs, the Chatham Y Pool Sharks may not recover, at least on the competitive side.

Only time will tell if a competitive swim team will be able to run again in Chatham.