July Participants of the Month

July Instructors of the Month

The Swimmin’ Women

Eldersburg , MD

SwimandSweat is proud to feature The Swimmin’ Women of Eldersburg, MD for our July Participants of the month! The Swimmin’ Women workout at Merritt Clubs and have quite the story of how they came to be!  

Their group formed from the women who participate in the aquatic fitness classes at Merritt who wanted to be able to stay in touch with one another and pass on information. To do so effectively, they created a Facebook Page called "Swimmin' Women." Since its creation, the page has grown to 83 members and at least 30 women who consistently participate in classes.  

 When asked what classes were their favorites to attend, it ranged between shallow water aerobics, Aqua Zumba and Deep Water. Donna Harrigan, one of the many Swimmin’ Women, said her favorite class, along with a dozen other members, would have to be deep water. “It allows us to exercise harder while being non-weight-bearing.” 

In February, the Swimmin’ Women held a "Polar Bear Plunge" in conjunction with the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge, which is an annual fundraiser for Maryland Special Olympics.  In 2021, Maryland Special Olympics went virtual, and had participants plunge on their own and film it, while still contributing donations.  The virtual plunge was such a success in 2021, that they kept the virtual plunge this year, while they also went back to the in-person plunge in the Chesapeake Bay.  The Women initially did the virtual plunge at Merritt in 2021 and decided to do it again this year due to its’ success. They were able to raise over $2500.00 for Maryland Special Olympics this year alone! 

When asked about swimwear, Donna had nothing but positivity to share. “We love the SwimandSweat suits, both the Aquamore and Krinkle, because they are comfortable to wear, are easy to exercise in, and maintain their vivid colors after years of use in the chlorinated pools.  We also love your many sales, frequent free shipping, and the variety of styles and colors in your inventory.” 

So what makes water exercise so important to the Swimmin’ Women? “We love to exercise in the water because of the physical benefits of decreased weight-bearing, increased ability to move and work hard, and the all-over body workout you get in the water.  Even more important, we enjoy the camaraderie and support we get from our group of water friends. 

I have made some of the best friends I have ever had in the pool.” -Donna Harrigan 

SwimandSweat would like to thank all of the Swimmin’ Women for being such amazing examples of building the community and enthusiasm for aquatic fitness!