Swimming Helps Healing Process After Hurricane Katrina

PHOENIX, Arizona, October 4. JUST more than a year has passed since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region. While the residents of the area rebuild after the storm caused more than $82 billion of damage, the most expensive natural disaster in the country’s history, members of the swimming community in the area continue to bounce back as well.

One of the leaders in the New Orleans swimming community’s healing process is CeCe Dugas, owner and operator of Swim by the C. The swim school nearly shut down when Katrina came calling. Dugas, however, did not want to let down the children who remained after the hurricane. She, like the rest of New Orleans, picked up the pieces and helped the healing process.

One example of the people that Dugas has helped is five-year-old Bailey Mitchell and her family. After an extremely tumultuous year, Bailey is back in water with the Swim by the C program. Her mother, Maureen, explained just how much returning to swimming has helped Bailey heal from the emotional scars caused by Katrina.

“Bailey had a real hard time when we were trying to rebuild everything [after Katrina],” Maureen said. “[Swimming] was the only normal thing she had. Being in the pool helped her forget about everything else, since CeCe is so wonderful with [the children]. Bailey just loves being back. She actually wants a pool in our yard now.”

These words are amazing to hear from Maureen, who nearly lost her dance instruction business in the wake of Katrina. Maureen told SwimmingWorldMagazine.com about some of the insanity that still remains in New Orleans, and how much Bailey’s youthful exuberance has helped in the healing.

“Things are still chaotic around here,” Maureen said. “You know Katrina is still present when you only have a FEMA truck and a [fallen] tree in your front yard. After we started bouncing back from Katrina, Bailey dove back into swimming. She didn’t know what was going on. Recently, she swam a 100 IM and came in second at the city meet. It was kind of neat to see that, since I didn’t think she was going to do real well because of the hurricane.

“Right now, everything is still gone,” Maureen continued. “My grammar school and high school aren’t there anymore. It is hard, even for CeCe. Our clientele has gone down with everyone moving. It has been hard on the kids, because they don’t understand. Bailey is a smart kid, but swimming has definitely been a good fix for her. She took swim lessons from CeCe for a few summers, then started on the swim team this summer. She loves it so much that she gets mad when it is cold. She always asks, ‘Why can’t I swim?’ and I always tell her, ‘Bailey, it is December! It is 40 degrees outside!’”

Not only has Bailey offered some inspiration to continue to rebuild after the heartache Katrina brought to the family, she also provided the impetus that may have saved her family’s lives during the storm evacuation.

“Bailey is the reason we evacuated,” Maureen said. “She wanted to know if the water was going to come into the house and destroy everything. We were the only ones in our neighborhood that stayed, and usually just weathered the previous hurricanes. This time, we left at the last minute and went to Atlanta for a couple of months.”

Incredibly, Bailey hasn’t let the craziness mess up her thoughts on the love of her life – swimming.

“When Katrina messed everything up, I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Bailey said. “When I got back in the water, I was really happy because I like to be in the water and I like my coach CeCe.”

With the determination of her local swimming community, the Swim by the C program has seen a rise in membership over this past summer.

“My swim school/program is centered around a New Orleans theme,” Dugas said. “I am a New Orleans native. Focusing my program around New Orleans makes learning to swim even more fun and helps children connect better to their own home environment. This was pivotal in the healing process for many of my swimmers who were adversely affected by the storm.”

Dugas also has won the United States Swim School Association’s National Teacher of the Year award twice. The school provides basic swimming and safety lessons on up to competitive training, and is hosted by both the Crossgates Athletic Club in Slidell, La., and Loyola University in New Orleans.

Editor’s Note: We don’t usually have stories about five-year-olds starting their first year of competitive swimming. This story, however, not only speaks to one of the biggest disasters in American history, it also lends credence to where all elite-level swimmers start – swim lessons. We must not forget the impact that coaches like CeCe Dugas have on developing the stars of tomorrow.

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