St Andrews Aquatics Program experiences resurgence with new community memberships offered

Laurinburg, N.C. - Susan Johnson, a St. Andrews education professor and the Office of Disability Service Coordinator, has fond memories of spending many Friday nights on the school campus as a child growing up in Laurinburg. She participated in a plethora of activities that were offered to community members through a membership.

"When I was a little girl, we had a family membership at St. Andrews. So, I spent a lot of time in this P.E. building when I was a young child...my dad would bring us swimming, or to play basketball, bowling, racquetball...it was loads of fun. People who grew up here (in Laurinburg) have fond memories of that." 

After spending 18 years as a Special Education teacher in the Scotland County School District, Johnson returned to her roots, accepting her new position at St. Andrews. Johnson also found herself recruited to supervise the Knights swim team during the 2022-2023 season. The temporary position morphed into a more permanent one after the Knights swim team was dissolved at the conclusion of the season. With the pool no longer being used by the school team, the decision was made to reoffer monthly memberships to the community which had not been done since the swim team was active, going all the way back to the 60's. It was quickly realized that it was a need in high demand. 

The requests started regularly flowing in after she created a "Squires Swim School" Facebook page in March 2023. Then, with the help of members in the local community at the Chamber of Commerce, Parks and Recreation, and Scotland County High School spreading awareness of the new opportunity in their circles of influence, the program was up and running in no time. 

"I get three or four phone calls a day from people wanting lessons," Johnson said. 

The demand is so high that as the Aquatics Program Manager, Johnson needs to work full-time hours starting in April to meet the level of demand, and it doesn't let up until August when kids return to school. Lessons are also offered once in the fall and once in the winter. 

A primary reason the program has found success so quickly is the range of age and skill that is accommodated through the instructors. 

"The youngest we have for swim lessons is one year old," Johnson said. "We go up to adult. We do adult lessons as well. There's what we call a junior swim league. You have to be six years old to join it. There's three levels...we also rent out to (Scotland County) High School. We have high school swim meets here. We have some adult swimmers who are competitive in the senior games, and we also have about 15-20 people doing a water aerobics class that started about two weeks ago...so it just ranges." 

In the midst of all the activity, Johnson sees the pool, the only community pool that offers memberships to all members of Scotland County, as a long needed connecting piece.

"For a long time, St. Andrews has been closed off (from the community)," Johnson said. "That's not the case now. But, it shows the community that we are here and that you can use (the pool). It's the same thing with the basketball courts with the tournaments that they host." 

Johnson's dreams and goals for the pool are not slowing down anytime soon. She hopes to see the Knights swim team come back, and the junior swim team to build back up. She also has several remodeling aspirations that she would love to pursue that would help the overall aesthetics of the area once the finances are available. But overall, her drive to continue facilitating the revitalization of the aquatics program centers around one desire. 

"I want the pool to be utilized," Johnson said. "I want everyone to feel comfortable in there. Many of our professors did not know they could use it at any time. I want to continue to get the word out to everyone about that." 

To give to the St. Andrews Aquatics Program, visit the following link and make sure to note "Aquatics Center" : https://www.sa.edu/about/alumni/give/

To sign up for Squires Swim School lessons, visit: https://www.sa.edu/contact-us/squires-swimming-school/