The Bowling Green Swim Club is back in full force this summer and the Gators are looking forward to a season where they can spend a lot of time in the pool.

The Bowling Green Swim Club have swimmers from various age groups, from 8 years old to seniors in high school. They participate in the Greater Northwest Ohio Aquatic Conference, with the members consisting of Bowling Green, Bryan, Defiance, Ayersville, Napoleon, Ottawa and Wauseon.

The Bowling Green Gators have won 41 GNOAC titles since the conference’s formation in 1971. Head coach Carolyn Strunk hopes to grab another title for the Gators as they’re back in the lanes with more lenient coronavirus guidelines.

Carolyn Strunk has been head coach of the Gators since 1997. Prior to that, she had been at BGSU as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s swimming teams.

With over 30 years of experience of coaching swimmers, Strunk knows how to train successful teams.

When the coronavirus pandemic was at its height from, she had to figure out a way for her club to get the consistent practice they needed.

“That spring of 2020 was a little bit of a shocker for our swimmers,” Strunk said. “The ones that would have gone to junior nationals didn’t get to go and some of the swimmers had never had so much time off.”

Strunk had an idea to continue the club’s season: Zoom.

Strunk had started a virtual program for her club, where swimmers could still get the lessons they needed while the pools were closed.

“What we would do is that I would set up a Zoom link and we would do dry land,” said Coach Strunk. “The swimmers had the option of turning on their camera or not, but they got to see their teammates and it was good for me to do something.”

Shortly after, the team got some pool time in Findlay and Grand Rapids, which were some of the only pools open at that time.

“At that time, we could only have 15 people in the pool at a time.”

This year, the Bowling Green Swimming Club members are able to hook on the lane lines again at the City Pool, and Strunk and her swimmers are thrilled to be having a more normal season.

“I am looking forward to a championship meet being a little more like what it had been pre-COVID,” Strunk said. “Some adjustments are continuing with this year, but the format will be a little bit more like normal.”

The 2022 GNOAC Championship Meet will be held in mid-July, and Strunk hopes to have the Gators win a title yet again.