Monday, April 6, 2026
Five years ago, Adriel Barrios, then a fourth grader, was looking to dive into the sport of swimming.
He tried out a few local teams but said, being a beginner, he struggled when those programs expected swimmers his age to take part in intense training and competition right away. Then, Adriel found his place on Milwaukee Recreation’s Tidal Waves swim team.
“Here, they met me where I was at,” he said. “From there, I was able to work on the things that I needed to work on. … In middle school, I jumped from being one of the worst swimmers on any team, every team to now swimming at the highest level they’ve got here.”
Adriel attributes his success to the support and healthy pressure he receives from his Tidal Waves coaches and teammates, who are “like a family.” Last high school swim season, Adriel, now a freshman at St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, even finished within three seconds of qualifying for the Wisconsin State Boys Swimming Championships.
The Tidal Waves are one of Milwaukee Recreation’s three competitive swim teams. Each team accepts swimmers ages 6-17 and practices at a different, conveniently located pool: the Tidal Waves at South Division, the Piranhas at MacDowell, and the Krakens at Riverside.
Swimmers regularly compete against other local clubs and have opportunities to advance to state-level meets. Each Milwaukee Recreation team offers beginner/pre-competitive, intermediate, and advanced practice groups. Participation costs between $39 and $72 per season for Milwaukee residents, depending on the swimmer’s level. Meanwhile, comparable swim teams in the area cost hundreds of dollars per season, making Milwaukee Recreation a more financially accessible choice for families.
Hannah Lybeck-Smoak, a senior at Reagan High School, joined the Krakens when she was eight years old and now coaches the team.
“As kids age through and have been on the team longer, they not only start to develop these relationships with other kids, but take on leadership and mentoring roles,” Lybeck-Smoak said. “This team really had a big impact on me. It helped me build community [and] become more confident, not only in my swimming abilities but in a community as a whole.”
This tight-knit community is exactly what Elinore Sustar was looking for in a swim program for her 10-year-old daughter Abryanna Williams, a fifth grader on the Krakens team.
“I was also a swimmer as a youth. … My experience was the family community, and that’s what I wanted for her,” Sustar said, adding that the diversity and affordability of the team provide an added bonus.
For Abryanna, the best part of swimming has been watching herself and her teammates improve as they continue putting in the work at practice.
“So we do practice, we’re a little slow, and then we have a meet, and then we go fast,” she said. “Then, when we go back to swim, we get even faster. I feel proud that we’ve gotten faster and better at the strokes.”
Between practicing flip turns, diving off the blocks, and proper backstroke technique, Milwaukee Recreation swimmers also make plenty of time for fun. At least once a week, Tidal Waves coach Aixa Barrios said she treats her team to a game at the end of practice. Each team wraps up its season with a potluck and swim party open to family and friends.
“The teachers and your teammates are really nice, and they really support you,” said Tidal Waves swimmer Daniela Ruiz Garcia, a seventh grader. “You’ll be swimming in a swim meet, and they’ll be on the other side [of the pool] cheering you on and screaming your name.”
Many Tidal Waves swimmers and their families speak Spanish, and the coaches often instruct the kids in both Spanish and English. “We’re always ready to welcome in new people,” Adriel said. “When you join, you’ll be a part of our family, and even if and when you leave, you’ll still be a part of our family.”
Krakens coach Lillian Smith wants families interested in Milwaukee Recreation’s competitive swim program to know that the department and the coaches are here to help and make swimming accessible to anyone who is interested.
“If you need anything at all, we’ll meet you where you’re at,” Smith said. “We’ve got goggles, we’ve got swim caps, we have water bottles. We have swimsuits that we can get for you. If you want to do swim, you should definitely do it.”
Registration for Milwaukee Recreation’s summer 2026 season opens on May 7 at 10 a.m. for city of Milwaukee residents and on May 14 at 10 a.m. for non-residents.