Feature Story: Teaching Our Littlest Swimmers About the Fun of Competition

Ranney School is widely known throughout the state and metropolitan area as a premier independent college preparatory institution of academic excellence, but perhaps one of its best kept secrets is its exceptional athletic programs and facilities. Since its inception in 1960, Ranney’s core philosophy has been about educating the whole child and placing equal emphasis on developing the body as well as the mind.

So it’s not surprising that Ranney, which is now celebrating its 50th anniversary, has launched yet another innovative program to help train its student athletes for optimum performance, agility and fitness. But this time the school is looking from the “bottom up” as far as its budding competitors are concerned. Last fall, Ranney introduced a first in its expansive athletic programming- an intramural swim program designed for its Lower School students.

The six-week program began last September with 13 fourth and fifth-graders learning the fine art of turns and starts under the watchful and experienced eye of Ranney Varsity Swimming Coach Emmett Walling. A fixture on the Ranney campus for almost 30 years, Walling is swimming’s most vocal ‘cheerleader,’ -- a coach with just the right temperament, expertise and passion for the sport to spur on even the littlest swimmers to victory.

All Ranney students from three-year-old Beginners to fifth-graders take swimming once a week in the Gerhard Pavilion for Athletics (GPA) as part of their required physical education curriculum. As one of the first buildings established on the Ranney campus, the GPA also represents the one piece of Ranney history all students share and is the place that binds students together – from grade to grade, and generation to generation.

However, teaching youngsters how to swim competitively and earlier in a school setting is a relatively novel idea that is fast gaining popularity. According to Coach Walling, the new intramural program has immeasurable and long-term benefits for students both in and out of the classroom. “Swimming is a lifelong sport and children enjoy it at a very early age. When they learn to swim competitively, they have the opportunity to learn the kinds of skills they can use the rest of their life,” he says. “By the time students enter the 6th grade as Middle School students, they have gained a tremendous amount of experience and the necessary skills that are required in a competitive instructional program.”

The new intramural program is already creating a buzz among Lower School students anxious to compete in the school’s indoor, Olympic-sized pool complete with Colorado timing system and retractable roof. They won’t have to wait too long, Last month, Ranney began another six-week course.

Before joining Ranney, Walling served as the aquatics director for the YMCA in Red Bank. But his love of swimming began early in life. “I started swimming at the age of seven and continued through college,” he says. “I’ve always had a love of the sport, and it’s my love of swimming that I try to pass on to my students here at Ranney.”

And that he does. A true champion of the sport, Walling can remember the first time swimming was introduced at Ranney. “It was 1979, and we started out with just a co-ed team,” he fondly recalls. “Today,” he says proudly, “we have a separate varsity girls’ and boys’ swimming team each comprised of ninth through twelve-grade students who have accomplished so much in the sport.” This year, the Ranney girls’ team finished their dual meet season with a record of ten wins and two losses and during the course of the season broke three school records. They also placed third in the Patriot Conference Championship, sixteenth in the Monmouth County Championship and fifth in the “B” division of the NJISAA State Championship. The boys’ team also broke numerous school records and placed second in the Patriot Conference Championship. Not to be outdone, Ranney Middle School boys’ and girls’ swim teams were both victorious in the 2nd annual Ranney invitational in February.

As a coach, Walling understands all too well the importance of teaching children at an early age to participate in sports activities. “Unfortunately, a lot of kids come to sports too late,” he says. “At Ranney,” he adds, “we encourage children to participate in swimming for a variety of reasons that go beyond competition. For example, swimming is a terrific low-impact sport that reduces stress and is easy on the back and knees.” With the alarming rise in childhood obesity, Walling sees Lower School intramural swimming as a positive and healthful solution to combat this disturbing national trend.

Patricia Marshall, Head of Ranney’s Lower School, couldn’t agree more. As she witnessed young boys and girls competing in the pool using free style, backstroke and turning techniques for the first time, she was in awe of Ranney’s "future Olympians". Says Marshall, “Our students can take advantage of outstanding athletic facilities and also experience the best varsity level coaching our Upper School students receive.” Asks Marshall, “How many other elementary aged students have access to such programs, skill development and competitive experiences in their schools?” Here at Ranney School, they do!

For additional information on all Ranney School news, please contact the Communications Department at communications@ranneyschool.org.