"We see our club as a community, providing opportunities to develop our swimmers into well rounded people.”

There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer, and over the next few weeks, Swim Ontario will be featuring five stories about some of our many volunteers who give back to our sport. Thank you to all of our hard working and dedicated volunteers!

Some would call it an age of success.

Others would see it as a gift, resulting from sheer determination, passion, and a pledge to reach for the top.

What was once a dream, has become a remarkable accomplishment. It’s also one loaded with triumph and prosperity.

HSC. Those are the initials for the Hanover Swim Club.

A recreational group of about 20 youngsters several years ago, is now a family of 130 swimmers backed by 18 volunteer coaches, seven Board members, 20 corporate sponsors and loads of volunteer and parental support.

Not bad at all for a small and cozy agricultural community, with a population nearing 8,000 people – and about a two-hour trip northwest of Toronto.

Checking the history books, it was back in 1850, when pioneer Abraham Buck and his family established a farm and tavern on the Saugeen River in the region of what is now the town of Hanover.

It’s a community known as hometown for former world heavyweight boxing champ Tommy Burns, and boasting Juno multi -award winning musicians, such as the Mercey Brothers, who are now in the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

Hanover has a new group in the spotlight – and they’re singing some high tunes in the water at the P&H Centre.

The Hanover Swim Club is taking centre stage these days and is attracting attention from across Ontario as a booming model of success when it gets down to developing an athletic program.

“It was back in 2016 that we gave it a thought and approached the town about starting up a competitive swim club,” said Travis Carter, President of the Hanover Swim Club and husband of the club’s head swim coach, Katrina Carter.

“A year later we had about 20 swimmers and the numbers started to grow. So, we went back to the town in 2018 and submitted a model for a not-for-profit organization. Our proposal was well received and that summer, we were officially on our way.”

To some, Hanover is considered a hockey town. But with its rapid growth and early successes, the Hanover Swim Club has proven that Hanover is now a swimming town. This was evident when HSC was on the winner’s podium in its first year of competition in Swim Ontario.

Gabriella Reinhart, then a 10-year-old, had won four medals at the Ontario Festival (ages 13-and-under) championships in Toronto in June of 2022. She was one of five Hanover Swim Club swimmers at the provincial showcase. To top it off, Swim Ontario, at its annual awards ceremony, recognized the Hanover Swim Club for incredible growth, rapid development, and overall team performance.

“Hanover needed a competitive swim program and after a few short years, we’re now at capacity of 130 swimmers and looking for more access to pool time,” said Katrina Carter, who competed at the World Masters swim championship in Budapest back in 2017. “We didn’t realize the amount of work that went in to starting up a swim program, but we’re glad we did it.”

Travis Carter is a professional engineer, and Katrina Carter owns a massage therapist business. They also have two children and still devote between 20 and 25 hours a week to a program that caters to swimmers between the ages of six and 18. Added recently to the club, a master’s category.

“We’re proud of what has been accomplished, but we don’t take all the credit,” said Travis Carter. “Volunteers, parents, financial supporters – it’s everyone pitching in, and the swimmers are the big winners gaining friendships, fun and learning life skills.”

Committed more to seeing younger people benefit from the sport, be it a personal best time or competing at meet with other clubs, Katrina Carter doesn’t talk about her accomplishments. That’s for others.

Swim Ontario recognized her with the 2022 Lea Bredschneider award that went “to a volunteer coach who had made significant contributions to the sport of swimming in a community and throughout the province”.

“Swimming is about dedication and challenging yourself, but we emphasize having fun - for some it’s about getting a personal best time and aiming for the podium,” said Katrina Carter. “Our group has a strong bond, like family, and it’s great watching the development of friendships. We see our club as a community, providing opportunities to develop our swimmers into well rounded people.”

Fun and affection just may end up being new words added to the Hanover Swim Club logo.

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 45+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.