WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Since he was 10 years old, Rayden Newcomer has called the pool his home away from home.
“During the winter, I'm in the pool each day for about two and a half hours, and then in the summer, each day, I'm in for about an hour,” he said.
A competitive swimmer from Jersey Shore, Newcomer is a regular when it comes to racing down the lane.
But after swimming for years, he still says it isn't easy.
“You can't always be going and going and going, and it gets stressful sometimes. I've been stressed out from swimming. But when you have something like this, you don't get as stressed, you get to calm down, relax,” Newcomer added.
Which is the point of the annual Cannon Ball Classic.
A chance for swimmers of all ages to race without the pressure you'd find at a traditional swim meet.
Reminding swimmers throughout Lycoming County to take a breath in between training seasons.
“I can stay fit without having to like work and be mentally tired and be physically tired all the time,” Jazz Lynjolin, Jersey Shore swimmer, mentioned.
Throughout the school year, swimmers travel to Williamsport Area High School to swim head-to-head. But for this invitational, they're looking forward to swimming together.
“We don't just see each other like once every couple meets of weeks or something, we get to see each other all season long, we get to practice together, be together all the time. This keeps the friendship going,” Newcomer explained.
They're from different schools, cheering for each other.
“It's cool to see how maybe I was like that, maybe I wasn't as fast, maybe I was slower, and it makes me realize how much I've grown to be a better swimmer,” Emily Shenory, Jersey Shore added.
And in between events, the swimmers get to have some fun.
“It makes me want to swim more when I'm here,” Newcomer said.
Giving swimmers like Newcomer a reason to look forward to the next swim season.
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