Storm Lake swim team draws 84 swimmers, busy season ahead

Storm Lake’s youth swim team started the summer with 84 registered swimmers and 78 showing up regularly for practices and meets. The team already has one dual with Cherokee behind it at King’s Pointe Water Park and a storm-shortened meet against Manson.

Marine Pepanyan is leading the program in her first year as head coach. She is working with assistants Mia Alvarez and Olivia Webster, while Lisa Mellmann and Kara Harder are handling logistics and volunteer signups. Pepanyan credited dedicated parents and Storm Lake Community Education for helping make the meets and the swim program happen.

The team is open to youth ages 6 to 18 and practices in the mornings at King’s Pointe Resort before the waterpark opens. That schedule fits a season built around the resort’s outdoor waterpark, which typically opens May 31 and stays open through Labor Day, weather permitting.

The June 10 dual with Cherokee at King’s Pointe Water Park was the team’s first meet, and Pepanyan said the event drew positive feedback for its organization, pace and quality. The June 17 meet against Manson did not finish after a storm moved through, but swimmers still completed 35 events before it was called off.

The team is focused on improving individual times and building toward the conference meet later in the season. In 2024, the youth team listed about 130 swimmers ages 5 to 18, hosted the AHEELA Conference meet at King’s Pointe, and drew about 300 to 320 swimmers from nine teams. Storm Lake finished second overall that year, with the girls taking second and the boys third.

Storm Lake Community Education offers more than 30 youth programs.