PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) – It was a bittersweet Saturday in Peoria as a local swim group said goodbye to their long-time home.
The Peoria Area Water Wizards, also known as PAWW, said so long to the Central Park Pool. They offer top of the line water safety and swim coaching for Central Illinois athletes.
They’ve been at the Central Pool for more than 40 years.
Current and former swimmers came in and reminisced on memories while also holding a mock swim meet with races.
One last time in a pool that holds so many memories.
“Unfortunately, we’re not able to stay here anymore. So we wanted to give the give the old girl a good shout out, a last goodbye before we head over to Bradley and Pekin. Foster, an environment of success and development. And we’ve been doing that now since 1982. You know, the kids love being here. They love being coached by our staff. Parents are really happy with the program and, you know, want to see their kids thrive and succeed. And this gives them a great opportunity to do that.” -Derek Amerman, PAWW Swim Coach
A couple past PAWW swimmers include 2024 Olympic silver medalist Anna Peplowski and Matt Elliott, who finished in the top eight of the Olympic Trials
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