North County Aquatics facing obstacles to stay afloat
-By Sara Brown
The North County Aquatics swim team.
Faced with pool closures, canceled fundraisers, the nonprofit organization reaches out to community
–North County Aquatics, Paso Robles’ nonprofit swim organization for children, is facing several obstacles to stay afloat. Challenged with nowhere to practice while the Paso Robles Municipal Pool underwent needed upgrades, the club quickly found a home with the Paso Robles Swim and Tennis Club. Just in time too; this weekend, several of NCA’s swimmers will compete at the Coastal Championships in Buena Ventura. Soon, the varsity swim season begins for many of NCA’s competitive swimmers.
However the nonprofit is now faced with raising adequate funding. While swimmers do pay fees to participate in NCA’s programs, those dollars don’t cover the extensive costs associated with use of a pool facility. To make up for the shortage, North County Aquatics is part of the Paso Robles Youth Sports Council, according to NCA head coach Heather Moffitt. The council collectively raises money for a number of youth sports including NCA, soccer, baseball, softball, football and cheer. The funds raised go toward field and facility improvements, fees for facility usage, equipment, competition, and more.
One of the largest fundraisers for the sports council every year is the student-run parking for the California Mid-State Fair, on city property adjacent to the Paso Robles Event Center. On average, Moffitt says the Youth Sports Council grosses $80,000 in the 13 days the fair is held. NCA uses its portion of those funds to pay the City of Paso Robles for the use of their swim facilities. Problem is, the city recently sold the land that the sports council used for their student-run parking. Where does that leave NCA? Uncertain, for now.
“We’ve been told we’ll probably be able to have the parking lot this year, but that will likely be the last,” says Moffitt. For the moment, the team is loving their home at the Swim and Tennis Club, and busy preparing for the competitive schedule ahead. Expanded swim hours at the club have enabled NCA to launch a new community program for adult swimmers.
“We’re very excited to be introducing new programming for the community,” says Moffitt. “This is the first time we’ve been able to offer something for adults of any age and skill level, and any time we can share the sport of swimming, that’s a great thing.”
For more information about North County Aquatics, call (805) 286-6982 or email [email protected].
The Paso Robles Youth Sports Council is hosting a “Casino Night” fundraiser at Centennial Park on April 9. Sponsorship information for the evening as well as event tickets can be purchased at www.prysc.com.
