The Waterloo Piranhas swim team, once a mighty force in summer competition, has undergone a resurgence after years of low turnout.

“Swimming is definitely making a huge comeback in Waterloo,” Piranhas parent board president Lyn Falk-Ahne said.

Following the closure of the city pool in 2010, the number of Waterloo Piranhas swimmers declined steadily for several summers.

“At one point, we were down to 34 swimmers,” Falk-Ahne said. “We couldn’t compete with any teams in the league.” 

In recent years, however, the parent board worked hard to obtain competitive numbers again. In 2019, there were 84 swimmers for the Piranhas.

This summer, the Piranhas had to close down registration as it reached 114 swimmers. This came after not having a summer swim season in 2020 due to COVID.

“The YMCA has done an outstanding job of providing us with the lanes and lifeguards that it takes for us to run swim practices, and will be hosting all of our home swim meets this year,” Piranhas league representative Matt Lucash said. “We are excited about the opportunity to provide so many children of Waterloo with the chance to be on the team this year.  

The Piranhas opened their season with a long drive to Greenville on Saturday. 

With Waterloo adding over 30 new swimmers to its roster, the Piranhas out-swam Greenville, 302-270. 

The Piranhas are coached by Andrea Kuergeleis and Ryan Ebeler.