Now that 2024 is coming to an end.

It’s Swimmer of the Year time and that has been the trend!

In waters vast and deep, you find your peace,
Molokai's waves and English Channel's lease.
With every stroke, you conquer fear and strife,
A testament to your resilient life.

Through addiction's storm and faith's lost light,
You swam through darkness, emerged in might.
Your perfect freestyle, a sight to behold,
A story of courage, beautifully told.

With a Scottish lilt, your voice does sing,
Of battles fought and victories you bring.
"Against the Current," your tale so true,
Inspires us all, in all we do.

So here's to you, Steve, in waters clear,
Our Swimmer of the Year, we all cheer!

Steve Leitch we are so proud of you.

You deserve this Swimmer of the Year award, and we love you too!

Now that 2024 is coming to an end.

It’s Swimmer of the Year time and that has been the trend!

With a heart so bright and a positive view,
This swimmer faced each day with something new.
She fell from her bike, hurt her knee,
But her spirit soared, wild and free.

From Pepperdine's waves, she swam with grace,
To Ironman’s challenge, she found her place.
This year brought love, a wedding so grand,
And baby Eloise, a gift so unplanned.

Through highs and lows, she stands so tall,
Olivia, a wonder, inspiring us all.
With strength and joy, she leads the way,
In her vibrant life, come what may.

Olivia we are so proud of you.

You deserve this Swimmer of the Year award, and we love you too!

We had an amazing 2024! We look forward to a year full of fun workouts, events, community service and even more camaraderie for 2025.

This year we were excited to announce 2 Swimmers of the Year for Greenville Splash! Steve Leitch swam the English Channel this year and swam part of the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland all to raise money for Miracle Hill. He also swam the Molokai Channel in Hawaii last year. Olivia Kayye amazed everyone by swimming through pregnancy and then less than a month after having a baby girl competed in a triathlon and other open water swims. We are so proud of these two awesome swimmers!

Greenville Splash Masters was proud to announce two of our swimmers for Volunteer of the Year! It takes a lot of volunteer work to make our swim team such an epic success. We are beyond thankful for these swimmers and their dedication to our community service events. Beth Cox was instrumental in helping at Upstate Splash by getting the times of each swimmer. She helps with coaching on a volunteer basis, writing workouts and timing at swim meets. Emily Egeln was a huge help in providing swim lessons to adults in our Adult Learn to Swim program and provided kayak support at the Upstate Splash.

The Upstate Splash Charity Open Water Swim 10th anniversary was last September. We had a beautiful day and raised money to support swim lessons for those in need. We are partnering with Aqua Angels again this year. Aqua Angels is planning to include lessons for those with disabilities and others in need in our community.

Let us know if you would like to be a volunteer instructor for our Adult Learn to Swim program in April. Greenville Splash provides free lessons for adults in our community during the month of April at Greenville County Aquatic Complex.

We recently lost three precious members during the past two months: Bob McAdam, Bill Robertson and Phil Elliott will hold a special place in our hearts.

Send Leslie results and pictures of your events for our next newsletter. Feel free to email Coach Leslie at greenvillesplash@gmail.com or give me a call if you need any help with anything: 864-283-1328.

Jan. 16

Greenville Splash Girls Night Out: Paint Party at Quaker State & Lube. Cost is $47.00. Must sign up and register by Jan. 14.we will be painting a heart shaped door hanger. Click here to register:

Feb. 8-9

50th Annual Jerry Clark Sunbelt Meet. Charlotte, NC. Save the Date this is our big team event! Click here for meet Info and to register. Registration closes on Feb 3 at 12:00 pm. So far Jeff Deitrich and Annie Platt are signed up. We need you for team points come join the fun!

Feb. 28, March 1 & 2

South Carolina SCY Championships in North Myrtle Beach. More info coming soon.

April 24-27

USMS Spring Nationals San Antonio, Texas. Click here for info:

May 17

Beaufort River Swim. 3.2 and 1 mile Swim & 5K Run. Click here to enter:

May 24

Lowcountry Splash Open Water Swim in Charleston. 2.4 and 6 mile. Click here to enter:

Aug 6-10

USMS Summer Nationals Federal Way, Washington

Sept 20

Upstate Splash Charity Open Water Swim, Salem, SC Hosted by Greenville Splash

Congratulations to John Decker , Barbara Eisele, and Charles Michael for superb swims at the South Carolina SCM Championships in Charleston in December.

A huge shoutout to our swimmers for earning Top Ten in the United States in 2024!

Long Course Meters:

John Decker 50-54 1st 200 Fly, 3rd 400 IM, 9th 200 IM, 5th 200 & 400 Free, 4th 800 & 1500 Free

Short Course Yards:

Michael Templeton 35-39 2nd 200 Back, 7th 100 & 200 Back

John Decker 6th 400 IM, 5th 1,000 Free, 10th 200 Fly

Mark Kothe 55-59 10th 200 Back

David Preuninger 75-79 10th 200 Fly

Kristi Panayotoff 75-79 7th 100 Fly

Kacky Elliott 85-89 7th 100 & 200 Back, 7th 50 Breast, 9th 50 Back, 5th 100 Free, 10th 50 Free

Barbara Eisele 90-94 1st 50 Fly, 100 IM, & 200 IM, 2nd 50 & 100 Breast, 3rd 50 & 100 Back, 3rd 100 Free

Let Coach Leslie know if you would like to be a volunteer instructor for our adult learn to swim program. You can volunteer for Mondays or Tuesdays evenings in April.

The Upstate Splash Charity Open Water Swim was proud to make a donation to Aqua Angels again this year. Aqua Angels Swim Station is the newest premier swim school in Upstate South Carolina, dedicated to making swimming accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Their certified instructors are passionate about teaching and bring a wealth of experience to the program. Whether you're a parent looking to introduce your child to the water or an adult eager to improve your swimming skills, they have tailored lessons for you. They offer private lessons, semi-private lessons, and small group lessons to suit your preferences and needs. To become a part of the Aqua Angels Swim Station family, simply visit the Aqua Angel website and fill out o registration form and one of their amazing instructors will reach out to you soon. Join the journey to become a confident and skilled swimmer! Aqua Angels is located inside Crunch Fitness at 1332 Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville 29605. Adult lessons are available during the summer on Tues and Thurs evenings at Brookside Pool in Mauldin for a nominal fee.

Greenville County Aquatic Complex:

It's Short Course Season! Coached workouts: TuTh 5:30-7:00 am, TuTh 6:30-8:00 pm, Tu 9:00-10:30 am, F 7:00-8:30 am & 9:00-10:30 am, Sat 7:00-8:30 am (informal workout)

Veterans Swim Program Mon & Wed 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

Pool closed Feb. 22 and March 1 for age group swim meets

Kroc Center:

Coached workouts: MWF 6:00-7:00 am.

Please Note: Due to lane space and safety concerns we require swimmers to circle swim at all workouts at both pools.

Make sure to check our website to see our Greenville Splash workouts that we do every week. Coach Carolyn and Coach Leslie are working hard to post them every week!

Click here for workouts:

Bob McAdam was a swimmer that swam with us for many years. His accomplishments were huge. He was our 2019 Greenville Swimmer of the Year. He volunteered his time in many ways including helping run the software and timing system at our swim meets. He was a very modest person but he was so happy and proud to be the 2019 USMS National Champion in the 100 & 200 Breast LCM. He continues to be a South Carolina State Record Holder in the following events:

2016 50-54 200 Breast SCM

2017 55-59 100 & 200 Breast LCM

2018 55-59 100 & 200 Breast SCY

2019 800 Free Relay, 100 & 200 Breast LCM

My favorite swim race as a coach was watching the 800 Free Relay that was Bob's idea to put together. It came down to the last swimmer passing another team at the very end to win it. Coach Carolyn and myself were jumping up and down and screaming! I will always find such joy in this memory of him. He was the kindest person to all of his teammates offering words of encouragement and plenty of accolades for others.

Bill Robertson was a force! Bill swam Masters in the Greenville area for all of his adult life. My favorite memory of Bill is that after every workout he would tell me I was the best coach ever. Which I would always laugh at him for because he never did the set correctly or follow any of my directions! Bill loved to compete and went to many of our swim meets. He even traveled with us to Y Nationals in Ft. Lauderdale and Sarasota. Bill will be missed by all of Greenville Splash.

Phil Elliott was the sweetest man. He was Kacky's husband and went with her to all of her swim meets. He cheered her on and watched every race. Phil was awarded Volunteer of the Year in 2023. Phil had a giving spirit and volunteered at every swim meet by timing Masters meets and age group meets. Phil attended all of team social events with Kacky for so many years. My favorite memory was him dancing with his wife Kacky to Retro Vertigo an 80's band at one of Christmas parties many years.

Ramtastic Goods is a School Based Business at Hillcrest High run by special education students. Let Leslie know if you need any embroidery. We can put the Greenville Splash logo on shirts or hoodies. We can also do other custom orders.

Thank you so much to all of our swimmers that volunteer for Greenville Splash! Your efforts help to make our community safer in the water and provide fitness and competition activities for swimmers.

We host several big events every year:
Adult Learn to Swim
The Upstate Splash Charity Open Water Swim
Upstate Veterans Swim

We have taught over 400 adults how to swim!
The Upstate Splash has raised money to provide swim lessons for over 3,400 children!

We are proud to be a team that gives back to our community!

Meet the Greenville Splash Advisory Board:

Sara Bopp, Amy Browning, John Decker, Mark Kothe, Kristin Knowles, Carolyn Moore, Casey Oliver, and Leslie Scott

Please, reach out to these board members with any suggestions for the future success of your Greenville Splash Masters team. Email: advisoryboard@greenvillesplash.com

Follow us on facebook, twitter, instagram and our website for more information about our USMS club. We also have FB messenger for each of the pools, let us know if you want to be added. We always welcome all swimmers to any of our workouts, events and socials. Join the fun!

Facebook Links:

Greenville Splash

Upstate Splash Charity

"Make a Splash in Life, Swim!"

Email: greenvillesplash@gmail.com
Website: www.greenvillesplash.com
Location: Greenville County Aquatic Complex and Kroc Center
Phone: 864-283-1328 Head Coach Leslie Scott
Facebook: facebook.com/greenvillesplash
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenvillesplash/