GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Hurricane Helene pummeled North Carolina mountain towns like Banner Elk hard, but one swim team turned it into an opportunity to do some good for kids in the Piedmont Triad.
Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina in late September, leaving countless homes without power and hundreds of roads closed due to debris and damage if not washed out entirely.
“It hit Thursday night, Friday morning,” said Aaron Van Nostrand, coach of the swim team at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk. “All the students got evacuated and sent home.”
Thomas Ware, a swimmer, added, “We were all very blessed to get off the mountain safe.”
Swimmer Taylor Simmons said, “It’s hard to see all the power lines down and everything, driving under those and all of the road conditions.”
With the school shut down, the Lees-McRae sports teams were left without a place to practice until other colleges offered to help. Soccer went to Ferrum College in Ferrum, Va., basketball went to Queens University in Charlotte, and the swim team was welcomed with open arms by Guilford College in Greensboro.
While staying at Guilford College, the swimmers could access to dorms, the dining hall, the weight room and the city’s world-class Greensboro Aquatic Center.
It was while they were practicing at the GAC that an opportunity arose to help local second graders learn how to swim.
“[GAC Manager David Hoover] came and asked if we would be willing to do it, and I was like, ‘I think it’s a great opportunity,'” Van Nostrand said. “It really kind of helps them grow and teach a valuable skill to these kids that swimming is more than a sport, it is a life skill.”
The 2nd Grade Learn to Swim program consists of a five-day curriculum in which Guilford County Schools second-graders can learn water safety skills.
“Today we have Vandalia Elementary with around 50 children, and they’re out there right now having a blast,” Hoover said.
The Lees-McRae swimmers said they, too, enjoyed every moment of this program.
“It’s really just a good feeling, and I know the whole team feels this way, to give back to the community that helped us out in our time of need,” Ware said.
