Hanover Stingrays will have a new home
Its blue and yellow colors and its stingray mascot will remain the same, but the Suburban League’s Hanover Stingrays summer swim team will have a slightly different look as they are now the Bethlehem Stingrays of Memorial Pool on Illick’s Mill Road.
Hanover Township pool was closed all last summer, in need of major repair or replacement, requiring the Hanover Stingrays, a competitive summer swim team, to practice at Stark Pool in Bethlehem. In addition, all of the Stingrays’ swim meets were away meets.
“Stark has only two lanes, so we had to rig up other lanes, but it was a pool,” said Stingrays head coach Evan Kocon. “It definitely wasn’t the easiest adjustment, but it was better than not having a team.”
While Hanover’s pool remained closed, Kocon started reaching out to the City of Bethlehem last year.
“Jodi Evans (Bethlehem’s recreation director) has been great about getting us in at Memorial, and we’re confident in where we’re going,” Kocon said.
The only question left is when?
That question was answered on May 19, but prior to that date, Memorial Pool was undergoing renovations that were nearing completion when the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to construction.
“The pool was on schedule to be finished in early June, so I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Kocon in early April.
Then, on May 19, Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez announced in a press release that Bethlehem’s five pools will remain closed this summer and that construction on Memorial Pool has restarted and will be completed this summer for opening in 2021.
Throughout all the uncertainty, Kocon wanted and still wants people to know that swimmers in kindergarten through 12th grade can live anywhere and still join the team.
“This will be a positive influence on our team,” Kocon said.
The Stingrays took second place among seven teams in last summer’s championships meet, and in 2018, the Stingrays were crowned Suburban Swim League champions.