Three drownings in Lake Winnipesaukee this summer underscore the truth that people need to know how to swim.
At Goss Park in Wilton, young people not only develop that skill, but recently defeated competitors from all over the region. At the 60th Milford Rotary Club swim meet at Keyes Pool earlier this summer, the swimmers from Goss Park prevailed over teams from Milford, Baboosic Lake in Amherst and regional YMCAs.
“We finished first out of six teams in Division 1,” said Shannon Silva, a volunteer swim coach at Goss Park from Wilton. “The team had 21 individual first-place finishes and seven relays in which they also finished first. It was a really great meet for the team, with everyone swimming well and supporting each other.”
Derek Green of Amherst also volunteers his coaching skills, and while the location is on the Lyndeborough-Wilton line, participating in the program is not limited to residents of the two towns. Swimmers from Greenfield and Hancock were stretching before another dip on a recent afternoon.
Young people ages 5 to 18 new to the program pay $55, and returnees pay $45. A swim-a-thon on July 28 was a fundraiser to help assure that all who would like to participate may do so.
“We try to push kids out of their comfort zones,” said Sylvia. “Pushing them to try new strokes and go a bit more in terms of distances.”
Sydney Beam has been pushing herself at Goss Park for years. The 15-year-old Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative student doesn’t stay on land once the summer ends.
“After the season here, I swim at the Nashua Boys and Girls Club,” said Beam, adding that her favorite stroke is the butterfly.
Eli Mogavero said that swimming for the team “fulfills something in me. It makes me happy.” The 12 year-old from Wilton said her favorite stroke is the backstroke.
Last year, the Greenfield Fire Department recognized Goss Park swimmers Liam Richardson and Ryan Yerardi for how they responded when their friend Grayson Danforth experienced a medical emergency 100 feet from shore on Sunset Lake. Danforth lost his footing and fell into the water, striking his head on the raft in the process, and went into distress. Richardson and Yeradi jumped in, and credited the outcome to what they’d learned at Goss Park about how to respond to unplanned situations in the water. Lt. Mike Heddy of the Greenfield Fire Department said they “undoubtedly saved a life.”
“I would love it if every child took lessons,” said Goss Park Director Georgie Mogavero. Swimming lessons are limited to six per class and open to children 3 and up.
In 1949, Jennie M. Goss donated 14 acres to help create a site for the Wilton-Lyndeborough Youth Center that would be available for the community to use for recreational purposes. In the fall, a casino night will be held to raise funds for a pavilion that is planned for the site.
Asked to explain the team’s domination at the Rotary event in Milford, Mogavero said, “Our kids really put in the work, and they really listen to their coaches.”