Archive: Sports

On Saturday, April 28, the Lansing Cats swim team (LCAT, for short) held its biennial Swim-A-Thon. The Swim-A-Thon is a fundraiser to support the team’s operational costs including rental of pool time at 3 local pools, lifeguards, supporting scholarship program to underprivileged swimmers and help offset travel expenses to national swim events.  This year, the team decided to share 10% of their proceeds with the local charity Mira’s Movement.

Mira’s Movement supports families facing childhood cancer in Tompkins County and across Central New York. They provide direct support to families, connecting them to information and resources, as well as emotional support. Mira’s Movement is based in Ithaca, and also has an office in Liverpool, NY.

Christine Brouwer, founder of Mira’s Movement, attended the event and was both impressed with the team and touched by its contribution.

“The younger group of swimmers did 100 lengths or more, and the older group 200 or more," she said. "That’s approximately 1.5 miles for the 7-11 year olds, and 3 miles for the older kids in less than 2 hours.  That’s impressive!”

The LCAT team practices 3-6 days each week depending on skill level, with their season covering about 10 months of the year. These kids—and their parents—are dedicated to this sport, and it shows.


The group has an exceptional coaching staff including head coaches Reed Dewey and Bob Terry who instruct the nearly 60 LCAT swimmers.   The skill level ranges from developmental up to senior advanced swimmers that compete nationally, with one swimmer, Erin McElfresh, headed to compete in the Olympic trials in June. The coaching staff is committed to helping every swimmer set and achieve their goals through hard work, perseverance, and dedication to the sport and their teammates.

On Thursday, June 7, the LCAT’s will present Mira’s Movement with a gift resulting from their Swim-A-Thon efforts.  For 3 months, team members and their parents and coaches asked friends, families, neighbors as well as generous local businesses to support them in their goal for this year, while also supporting Mira’s Movement. Their gift will be in excess of $2000.


The team had a lot to say about its efforts and ability to help families facing childhood cancer. Joe Koch, 14, a team member from Lansing said, "It was great to help out a local group with our fundraising and, specifically, to help the families served by Mira's Movement."

One parent commented that it’s great for the kids to learn the importance of philanthropy at a young age. Brouwer agreed. “It’s incredibly meaningful to us when a group of kids decides to do something to help Mira’s Movement. Learning to give while enjoying something that’s important to you is a great lesson in perspective.”  Swimmer Grace Ferris, 13, of Lansing said, "It was nice to raise money for Mira’s Movement through something I love."

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