Cassie Faull swims during a practice for the Slippery Rock Eels community swim team at Slippery Rock University. Eighty youngsters participate on the team which is marking its 30th anniversary this season. The parents of some of the current team members were members of the original squad.

SLIPPERY ROCK — Marybelle Nesbit can’t wait to get into the Aebersold Recreation Center pool.

The 7-year-old Grove City resident isn’t really sure why she enjoys swimming and diving so much. When asked, she shrugs her shoulders and giggles.

“I thought it would be fun,” she answers before bursting out into laughter. “I probably like diving the most. You get to jump up and down on the thing.”

“The springboard?” Her father Tedd asks.

“Yup,” Marybelle responds, flashing a wide smile.

Marybelle is just one of 80 youngsters from age 5 to 18 who spend most of their afternoons on the Slippery Rock University campus as a part of the Slippery Rock Eels community swimming team.

The Eels are celebrating their 30th anniversary this season.

Tedd Nesbit is an original member of the team. Now his son Charlie, 9, and Marybelle are members of the same club.

“She wanted to do it as soon as she was old enough,” Tedd says of Marybelle. “They love it. It’s a long season, but they still want to come every night and swim as much as they can.”

The commitment is demanding. The team practices five nights a week and participates in meets on the weekends during the winter and early spring.

The emphasis, though, is not on winning events, but on improving individually each time in the pool.

And on having fun.

That may be why the swim club has stood the test of time.

“It’s a really, really positive experience,” Nesbit said. “It’s not all about winning. It’s about having fun, good exercise, having fun with teammates and learning to push yourself.”

The Eels were started in 1979 when swim instructors Carol Zacheryl and Nancy Sayre concluded that teaching lessons alone wasn’t good enough. Their students needed a place to put their newly learned skills to the test.

Zacheryl and Sayre approached Dick Manning, the Slippery Rock Parks and Recreation director at the time, about starting a community swim team.

The team was formed and competed against squads in Mercer County.

The first Eels roster had a mere 20 swimmers.

“It was a lot of hard work, but we had a lot of fun,” Nesbit said. “There’s a lot of down times in meets, so everyone gets kind of tight. That was what was real fun, hanging out with the other kids.”

Travis Croll of Slippery Rock also was one of the original members. His son, Jeff, 13, and daughter Stephanie, 9, are current Eels’ swimmers.“It kind of makes you feel old,” Croll said.He is amazed the Eels have lasted 30 years.“Right now it is probably stronger than it has ever been,” he said.In the 1980s, the team struggled to attract new members and nearly folded.But it managed to survive.“Swimming is different than a lot of sports where you get, ‘My kid should be playing in front of Johnny,’” Croll said.“In swimming, every kid gets to participate. They all jump in the water and the clock doesn’t lie. You can compete against your friends and you can compete against yourself. If I jump in the pool and finish 13th but set my personal best, it’s a great day.“That’s the draw.”Original member Emily McNickle-Garner got involved with the Eels again this year when her children Anna, 12, and Ella, 7, joined the team.When McNickle-Garner signed her daughters up for the team, she was told she still held a team record in the 50-yard butterfly.“I had no idea,” she said. “It’s pretty cool.”Watching her children swim is pretty cool, too. It gives her goosebumps.Many times, McNickle-Garner’s children swim in the same lanes of the same pool in which she swam.“Watching them makes you want to swim,” McNickle-Garner said. “You know what they are feeling. You know how hard work it is.”Beth Meals, president of the Eels, said the swim club wouldn’t exist without the generosity of Slippery Rock University.When the club started, SRU donated its facilities and pool time. All the university asked in return was for its students to help coach the team as part of a practicum, Manning said.“It’s just been a great, great relationship,” Manning said.SRU junior health and physical education major Leslie Korbar is the Eels head coach.When Korbar learned the Eels have been around for three decades, she was shocked.“It’s amazing they have a team that has lasted 30 years where they have enough youth involvement to keep it going,” Korbar said.“I think it’s a great thing. I think kids need to be active, and it’s a great outlet for them, not just physically, but socially.”Korbar is no stranger to coaching big swim teams. She coaches a summer swim club in her hometown of Washington that is 90 members strong.Korbar said her biggest thrill is seeing a swimmer improve.“It’s definitely really satisfying,” she said. “Not only do you know they are here and doing something right, but you are doing something right, too.“They are so happy. Whether they run to you, their parents, their grandparents — whoever happens to be around — it’s a great feeling.”All involved with the Eels believe the club will be around for another 30 years. Then, perhaps there will be a third generation Eels swimming cutting through the water with a smile on his face.“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Korbar said. “Not for a minute.”

Zach Caldwell swims during an Eels practice. The team drills five nights a week and participates in weekend meets during the winter and early spring.