West Jefferson Hills School District partners with South Hills Aquatics

A new and exciting partnership between the West Jefferson Hills School District and South Hills Aquatics began last month. The partnership was approved by the WJHSD School Board at its Oct. 26 meeting and at the beginning of November, South Hills Aquatics began calling the Thomas Jefferson High School Natatorium home.

Founded in 2002, South Hills Aquatics is a non-profit competitive swim team serving the South Hills and surrounding communities. The team is comprised of athletes ages 6-18 and is operated by a Parent Advisory Committee.

“By partnering with SHAQ, not only do we give our kids the ability to swim in our facility year round, but we can build a competitive program at the elementary grades that will eventually bring more students into our high school swim team,” said WJH superintendent Dr. Michael Ghilani. “Additionally, SHAQ will provide more post-high school competition opportunities for TJ swimmers.”

South Hills Aquatics is governed by USA Swimming and is a member of Allegheny Mountain Swimming. SHAQ was started by Steve Larkin, who is the head coach, along with his wife, Erica, who is TJ swimming and diving assistant coach, working with head coach Brian Peters. Larkin was the head swimming coach at West Mifflin High School for nearly 20 years and is in his third year as an assistant coach at Bethel Park High School.

“I’m super excited,” Larkin said. “I finally feel like the grind we’ve had has put us in position to help a lot of children to learn about swimming. The new TJ Natatorium is a great facility. I don’t know if people understand the opportunities that are available for swimming in college. There are so many post-high school opportunities.”

The eight-lane, 25-yard ramp entry TJ Natatorium opened in the fall of 2019 when the new TJHS opened. Prior to the new high school being built, the Jaguars’ swimming and diving teams didn’t have a pool within the district.

“This is great news for swimming in our community,” Peters said. “A club presence at TJ will be a huge boost for the swimming program and is another step in opening doors to the local community. As a varsity coach, I couldn’t be more excited to see the foundation laid for age group competitive swimming. I know that there has been interest for a long time, but so many families had to look elsewhere and travel further to get kids in the water. I can’t wait to see the club and the greater TJ swim community grow!”

The Thomas Jefferson swimming and diving team will have priority use of the TJ Natatorium during its season. South Hills Aquatics will have the opportunity to host invitationals against other regional swim clubs in the TJ pool.

“I’m excited; this was always part of the plan that I envisioned, to use the pool for kids and people in the district and surrounding communities,” said Brian McClain, the TJ Natatorium manager. “There’s definitely an interest in the community for more swimming opportunities. This is another major step in offering opportunities for kids in the district.”