Photo by John Rudd. Twin sisters Maddie Allen left, and Katie Allen were first-year graduates of the I Can Swim! program back in 2012. They are both now lifeguards at the George C. Edwards Community Aquatic & Recreation Complex (CARC) where they completed the I Can Swim! program.
Twin sisters who were part of I Can Swim! (ICS) during its inaugural year are now the first I Can Swim! graduates lifeguarding at the Edwards Community Aquatic & Recreation Complex (CARC).
“We’ve been going to the CARC forever,” said Katie Allen. “I think we even had one of our birthday parties at the CARC.”
“After I Can Swim!, our mom put us in swim lessons at the CARC,” said Maddie Allen. “We both love to swim, and I really think that came from those classes.”
The I Can Swim! program – which provides every kindergartner with swimming instruction and other water safety education – is now well established. Maddie and Katie, however, were program pioneers along with their kindergarten classmates when they went through ICS in 2012.
“I Can Swim! not only introduced us to swimming, but it also introduced us to the CARC,” said Katie, noting both sisters have spent plenty of time in that facility over the last dozen years.
Katie and Maddie’s connection to Garrett College doesn’t end with the CARC – the Northern Garrett High seniors are also Garrett College Dual Enrollment students. Katie plans to study computer science at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP), and Maddie plans to attend either West Virginia University or UMCP to study animal science.
Angela Luby, the CARC’s program coordinator for aquatics and group fitness, said the Allen twins have been “fantastic additions to the lifeguarding staff.”
“Maddie and Katie have a great attitude towards their job, co-workers and training,” said Luby.
A third CARC lifeguard – Tyler Yoder – participated in the sixth-grade I Can Swim! initiative, which provided CARC swim time and refresher instruction for middle-school students.
“Tyler has a really positive attitude,” said Luby. “He’s always willing to do any job skill training, whether it’s brushing up on CPR or improving swimming skills.”
“I remember it was a lot of fun,” Yoder said of the sixth-grade program. “The best part was working with the rescue tube – we put it out to one of our classmates and got to reel him in.”
Yoder – who graduated from Garrett College this winter with a degree in Business Administration – said the CARC’s on-campus location was perfect.
“It’s been really convenient being right at the college,” said Yoder, who is now attending University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) online. “It’s just a good place to work.”
I Can Swim! is a collaborative partnership between Garrett College, the Garrett College Foundation, the Garrett County Board of Education, and the Garrett County Commissioners.
“This program is just one more example of how Garrett County organizations work together for the public good,” said Dr. Richard Midcap, Garrett College’s president. “I appreciate all that the Foundation, the Board of Education, the commissioners, and the businesses and individuals who provide generous gifts to I Can Swim! contribute to this really critical initiative.”
