Pikes Peak Athletics in Colorado Springs is making a splash in the national rankings. The Colorado Springs based swim club was recently recognized by USA Swimming as a Silver medal club in its 2022-2023 National Club Excellence Program.
"We're really excited about being a silver medal club," PPA Founder and COO, Anna Heidinger said. "We've been Bronze three times before, so getting to that next level makes a big difference."
The Silver medal club means the competitive team is ranked among the top two-percent of the 3,100 swim clubs in the nation.
"It makes me feel good," nationally ranked PPA swimmer, Tammy Greenwood said. "It shows progress for our team so it motivates me and my teammates."
PPA was founded 11 years ago by George and Anna Heidinger. Anna is a Colorado Springs native and was a nine-time DI All-American at the University of Wisconsin.
"Swimming has been a huge part of my life forever," Heidinger expained, "it really impacted me and just really helped me become the person that I am."
PPA is the only swim club in Colorado to build, own and operate its own training facility.
"Ultimately our goal is to continue to build the swimming community in Colorado Springs," Heidinger said, "we want to help prevent drownings and promote water safety."
According to the CDC, drowning is the number one cause of death in children ages one to four. PPA believes it's never too early to learn how to swim.
"What sets us apart from a lot of teaching programs is we have our teaching pool, but we also have our lap pool which helps kids learn how to swim in cold water and deep water," Heidinger said.
Another aspect that sets PPA apart from other programs is its core values and unique coaching philosophy.
"I think that we really look at every athlete as an individual and we try to help them accomplish their goals whatever they may be," Heidinger said. "We also have a strength and conditioning piece that many swim teams do not have, which helps prevent injuries and improve overall athleticism."
Pikes Peak Athletics (PPA) offers swim lessons for all ages starting at six months old and the competitive team is open to athletes ages six to 18 years old. PPA said everybody is welcome and they have plenty of space for more swimmers.
