Olympic Swimmer Lia Neal Dives in at the Bed-Stuy YMCA

Friday night, Olympic swimmer Lia Neal paid a visit to the Bed-Stuy Piranhas, the young swimming team of the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA, to share a few swimming tips and her personal journey of what it takes to be a champion inside and outside of the pool.

Neal's visit marked the conclusion the YMCA's annual SPLASH Week, a free program created to help people of all ages, especially children, learn basic swimming skills, water safety practices and a holistic approach to underwater play that combines mind, body and spirit.

The 18-year-old Neal, who was born and raised in Fort Greene, has been swimming since the age of six. She won a bronze medal in the 4x100m Freestyle relay at the 2012 Olympic Games, a gold in the 100m freestyle at the 2011 Junior Championships as well as silver in the 50m freestyle.

This wasn't the first Olympian to visit the Bed-Stuy Piranhas, who, for the past four years, have made a name for themselves locally, winning back-to-back citywide swimming competitions.

In September 2011, five-time Olympic swimmer Dara Torres stopped through the YMCA to hold a clinic for the Piranhas. Three months later, American freestyle sprint swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones also dropped by to impart a few lessons.

Still, as fortunate as they've been to experience such rare brushes with greatness, the young swimmers lost no time in soaking up as much information as possible. Neal, a high school senior, is the closest in age to the swimmers, making her rise to success all the more within reach.

"She's one of the first people that I've known from this neighborhood to swim in the Olympics. And hearing her speak made me feel like I could really try to be a better swimmer," said Caitlin Hacket, a high school senior and Bed-Stuy Piranha.

"She made me see how if I set a goal and really push for it, I could have it. Even if it may not be in swimming, any goal, I believe I can achieve it."

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