Under the leadership of fourth-year head coach Brandon Greg, assistant Melissa Page and volunteer coach Joe Peterson, the Warren Dragons swim program looks to keep improving and make waves in the pool.

Greg swam for the YMCA Dolphins as a child, then swam and dove in high school before joining the military. He has been a swim instructor and lifeguard at the Warren YMCA since the late 1990s, and also an official for the YMCA team, and volunteers with the Special Olympics swim team when the time allows. Needless to say, the Dragons are in good hands.

“We are looking to build our numbers up and bring students in from across the district to enjoy the swim season. We have a ton of speed and distance swimmers returning this year, and we will have the numbers to fill the lanes,” Greg said. “We have extraordinary athletes in every stroke and distance of race, but what will carry us through will be the all-around athletes who can inspire that winning competitive spirit in the newcomers. Success for swimming is two-fold; we obviously want to win swim meets, but I get more excited about the individual wins and self-improvements. Sometimes it’s a huge time drop; other times, it is a successful completion of a complex and complicated race, like the 200 individual medley.”

The Dragons have been putting in a lot of training to prepare for the upcoming season — as early as the day after last season ended. The up-and-coming freshmen are poised to make a big splash in the pool and contribute to the team as much as the swim team veterans.

“We have three distinct types of athletes who join the team. The first are the competitors who are here for the podium and self-improvement. Second, we have those who are here to try something new and be with friends. Lastly, we have those who are coming out for the best exercise they can get all winter (bonus points, they also get to earn a gym credit),” Greg said. “I know it’s cliche, but I want the athletes to love the sport as much as I do. Win, lose, or draw, it’s always a good day in the water. Dragons are not only a fire-breathing menace on land or in the sky; see how these Dragons spread their wings and dominate in the water. Our athletes are all one cohesive unit, regardless of where they hail from.”