Every weekday, dozens of adults flock to the New Albany High School pool for 5:30 a.m. practice. What motivates these early birds plunge into a pool before the sun rises each morning?
The answer is quite simple: they love to swim, and they love to do it with a community that shares their passion.
In 2004, Chris Birnbrich was looking for a masters team to join after his previous club disbanded. Swimming had always been a part of his life. He began swimming at the age of five, and he even met his wife while swimming in college at Bowling Green State University.
Birnbrich reached out to Brad Burget, who was then a coach at the high school, and together they started both the New Albany Aquatics Swim Club and a middle school program.
The club started in 2005 with about five members and now welcomes roughly 60-70 swimmers to practice every day. Over 20 years, the club has welcomed more than 600 members and taken on competitions, including Nationals last year.
Chris Birnbrich
Swimming never ages
The club is made up of multiple generations. Some members are still in high school, while the club’s oldest member, Birnbrich’s mother-in-law, competes at the age of 84.
“What’s nice is, when we go to coffee after practice, there are 60-year-olds, 40-year-olds, 20-year-olds,” Birnbrich says. “There’s no difference, because we all have the same thoughts and ideas, and swimming is our common bond.”
The club competes in three to four meets each year. Individual events are broken into age groups of five years, with relays being age groups of 10 years.
After 20 years of competing against teams across the country, Birnbrich is still in awe of the talent he sees at each competition.
“Seeing people who are 95 years old, it’s awesome,” Birnbrich says. “There are not many people at 95 that do the 200 (meter) Butterfly.”
For veteran swimmers, these events provide a space to compete and continue to enjoy a sport they love. The meets also show young adults that they can still enjoy and compete in the sport outside of school.
“These kids, I think, are really enjoying coming to Nationals and seeing that there’s life after high school and college and that there are some fast people,” Birnbrich says. “I think it humbles them a little bit.”
Going for gold
In 2024, the New Albany Aquatics Swim Club traveled to Indianapolis to compete in the U.S. Masters Swimming Spring Nationals. The meet took place during the final weekend of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, allowing swimmers to watch the trials afterward and meet Olympic athletes.
U.S. Masters Swimming is divided into two categories: regional and local. The New Albany Aquatics Swim Club competes in the local club category, and were up against 307 other clubs last year.
Birnbrich traveled with 75 club members to Indianapolis for the four-day event, and after a long weekend of racing, they were crowned USMS National Champions.
Birnbrich was healing from back surgery when the team competed, so he spent his time on the sidelines crafting relays, organizing the team and cheering on swimmers.
“It was gratifying,” Birnbrich says. “The one championship I don’t swim in, they win… but it was fun being a coach.”
Holistic health
Although winning shiny medals and placing at meets is certainly a plus, for many, swimming is an opportunity to decompress and stay healthy mentally and physically.
Swimming is a low-impact workout that is easy on joints, making it a form of exercise that can be enjoyed through every stage of life.
Although it may be easier on the joints than other high-intensity exercises, it is still an extremely effective form of cardio. According to the Cleveland Clinic, swimming has numerous cardiovascular benefits, such as improving cholesterol levels, reducing blood pressure and lowering the risk of heart disease.
Water resistance also effectively builds strength and muscle. With greater density than air, water enables swimming to enhance fitness faster than land-based activities such as running or cycling.
Beyond its physical health benefits, swimming is a great way to disconnect and destress.
“It’s a way of just closing out everything,” Birnbrich says. “It’s just you and the water. It gives you time to escape from reality.”
There are several reasons the members of New Albany Aquatics Swim Club jump in the water each morning at 5:30 a.m. They come for a good workout, for a mental reset, and to be with family. Birnbrich’s wife and three boys compete on the team, however, he considers the whole team to be an extended family.
“I think people just need family in their lives,” Birnbrich says. “Family is everything.”
Megan Brokamp is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mbrokamp@cityscenemediagroup.com.
