Making Waves & Memories: Hastings Middle School Swim & Dive Team Splashes to Success
You can bet that when the next spring season rolls around, the middle school pool will be bubbling with eager newcomers, as well as enthusiastic returning swimmers, all excited to dive into another great season of swim practice and competition.
If you want to see pure joy and determination, just step inside the Hastings Middle School pool on meet night. On April 16th, 2025, the Hastings Middle School Boys & Girls Swim & Dive team made a big splash in front of a cheering hometown crowd. It was more than just a meet – it felt like a pool party with a purpose, filled with personal bests, proud coaches, and kids pushing each other to shine. Parents packed the stands, ready to lose their voices cheering on these young Raiders. 🏊♀️🏊♂️
April 16th Meet Recap: Personal Bests and Big Splashes
The April 16th meet was the season finale, and our Raider boys and girls absolutely owned the pool. From lightning-fast relays to graceful dives, the team splashed their way to several personal records and big smiles all around hastingsnow.com. One highlight of the night was a mixed 200-yard freestyle relay that came down to the wire – four HMS swimmers tag-teamed for a thrilling finish that had the whole pool deck on its feet.
Over at the diving well, the dive team put on an equally awesome show. From confident front flips to neat pencil-straight entries, the young divers wowed everyone with their improvement. Each time a diver emerged from the water, they were met with high-fives and a big hug from teammates – a tradition that shows just how supportive this crew is.
By meet’s end, nearly every swimmer had achieved a new personal best in at least one event. In true kid fashion, the biggest post-competition debate wasn’t about who won the 50 free – it was whether to celebrate at Dairy Queen or with root beer floats at home! (For the record, root beer floats won by a slight margin, according to a few giggling swimmers.)
A Proud Tradition: From Humble Beginnings to a Thriving Program
This middle school team’s energy is part of a rich Hastings swimming tradition decades in the making. Believe it or not, Hastings’ first public pool back in the 1950s was just a simple rectangle – only six feet deep at the deep end hastingsnow.com! By the 1980s, as interest in competitive swimming grew, passionate parents and volunteers stepped up to create what became the Hastings Area Swim Team (HAST) hastingsnow.com. They held bake sales to buy lane lines and even carpooled kids to meets in borrowed vans – talk about dedication hastingsnow.com. In 1995, HAST became an official nonprofit club, giving our community a year-round outlet for young swimmers to train and compete.
The late ‘90s brought a wave of investment in local pools. In 1999, the city opened the Hastings Family Aquatic Center, a summer splash zone with water slides and zero-depth entry that had folks coming from all over the region hastingsnow.com. On the competitive side, the 2000s and 2010s saw the Raider high school teams rise to prominence. HAST’s membership swelled to over 120 swimmers, and the Hastings High School girls clinched their first conference relay title – a huge milestone for the program hastingsnow.com. To support the growing talent, the school district even installed brand-new starting blocks at the middle school pool in 2017 hastingsnow.com, giving our old six-lane pool a modern boost.
Of course, the journey hasn’t always been smooth sailing (or smooth swimming!). In the early 2020s, challenges like COVID-19 pool shutdowns and a statewide lifeguard shortage tested the community’s resolve hastingsnow.com. But Hastings proved its commitment to swimming: local residents donated $15,000 in 2023 alone to fund swimmer scholarships and a new timing board for the middle school pool hastingsnow.com. That community spirit was on full display at this week’s meet – you could feel the pride and support in every cheer.
Through all this history, the middle school program itself has evolved tremendously. Years ago, most 7th and 8th grade swimmers would simply jump to the high school team if they were ready. Now, thanks to a deliberate effort by coaches and the district, the HMS Swim & Dive team welcomes 5th through 8th graders of all experience levels each spring. The goal is to get kids started early, learning proper strokes and dive basics in a fun environment, so that by the time they reach high school, they’re ready to race and compete with confidence ms.hastings.k12.mn.us. It’s a strategy that’s paying off – many of the shining stars on the high school varsity roster today began as wide-eyed fifth graders in the middle school program.
And speaking of shining stars, Hastings’ swim community has grown into something truly special. According to a recent HastingsNow Deep Research Report on Local Swimming Committees (LSCs), our local aquatics ecosystem now supports around 100 year‑round club athletes and 80 high school swimmers each year hastingsnow.com. That’s hundreds of youth splashing around, supported by dedicated coaches, city facilities, and countless parent volunteers. The report traces how Hastings’ swimming journey got to this point and even maps out a roadmap for future growth hastingsnow.com, hastingsnow.com. (If you’re a real swim nerd or community enthusiast, it’s a fascinating read – check it out for a deeper dive into Hastings’ pool scene!).
Dive In Yourself: How Local Youth Can Get Involved
After seeing the excitement of the April 16th meet, we wouldn’t blame any kid (or parent) for thinking, “How can I join the fun?” Good news: in Hastings, there are multiple ways for youth to dive into swimming and diving – whether you’re a seasoned guppy or just testing the waters:
Hastings Middle School Swim & Dive Team (Spring Season, Grades 5–8): This co-ed team welcomes all HMS students in grades 5 through 8, no experience needed. It runs in the early spring (practices start in late February) and focuses on building skills in a fun, team-oriented setting. If your child can doggy paddle, they can start here and learn the rest! To sign up, simply register through the school’s athletics page (and yes, now is a great time to start thinking about next season). You can find more info on the HMS Swim & Dive page, including what gear you need (basically a swimsuit, goggles, and a can-do attitude). Coaches like McAlpin often say they’ll “take any kid who’s willing to try” – everyone gets to be part of the team.
Hastings Area Swim Team (HAST) – Year-Round Club: Why limit the fun to one season? HAST is a year-round competitive swim club that’s been the bedrock of Hastings swimming since the 1980s. It offers professional coaching and technique instruction for all ages (from young beginners to high schoolers in the off-season). HAST has a spot for those who want to continue improving outside the school season or even compete at regional meets. They even offer seasonal clinics and swim lessons for newcomers during spring and summer. Interested families can head to hastswimteam.com for registration info, practice schedules, and to learn more about what being a “HAST swimmer” is all about. Many middle school team members also swim with HAST to keep the momentum going year-round.
Aside from these programs, Hastings also has other aquatic opportunities – from summer swimming lessons at the Family Aquatic Center to the inclusive Hastings Sharks program (for athletes with special needs). In short, if your child wants to get in the water, we’ve got a lane for them. 🌊
Celebrating a Community and Looking Ahead
The April 16th meet was a beautiful reminder that the Hastings Middle School Swim & Dive program is as much about community as it is about competition. The six-lane middle school pool might be 50 years old and a bit undersized by today’s standards hastingsnow.com, but on nights like this, it transforms into a roaring arena of encouragement and excitement. Eighth-graders mentor fifth-graders, high schoolers (acting as volunteer coaches on deck) give tips and cheers, and parents from all over town come together to support every swimmer and diver – not just their own.
As the program wraps up another successful season, there’s a palpable excitement for the future. Who knows – the next Olympic hopeful might just be a Hastings fifth grader who fell in love with swimming this spring. But whether or not these kids go on to break records, the life skills they’re gaining – confidence, teamwork, discipline, and a lifelong love of staying active – are the real victories.
So what’s next? For now, a well-deserved rest (and maybe finally finishing homework before dinner again). But you can bet when next spring rolls around, the middle school pool will be bubbling with eager newcomers and returning swimmers alike, ready to make more waves. Coach McAlpin and her staff wouldn’t have it any other way.
Don’t forget to relive all the excitement from the April 16th meet through our two-part photo gallery: check out Gallery Part 1 and Gallery Part 2 for dozens of awesome shots of our swimmers and divers in action. You might just spot your favorite Raider giving a thumbs-up or striking a pose! 📸✨
Here’s to our Hastings swimmers and divers – thank you for an incredible season. Keep on making waves, and we’ll see you at the pool! 🥳💦
