On a serene street in downtown Apex there is a hidden gem. Although quiet for most of the year, in the late-night hours of the hot summer months, you can hear chants coming from the most seemingly tranquil of places. Neighbors and passersby have heard these chants for years and have come to recognize and welcome them. You might be wondering what kind of group would be chanting in the middle of the night in downtown Apex?
These are the sounds of The Breakers!
Around for more than 50 years, the Apex Breakers Swim Team has its home at the Lila E. Jones swim club on Holleman Street in downtown Apex. By most standards, the pool itself is nothing fancy, but on any given Tuesday night in the months of June and July, this inconspicuous pool is the most popular place in town. Jason Harloff, volunteer coach and former head coach for the Breakers, has been a part of this team in some capacity for over 18 years. Starting in 1999 as a volunteer coach, Jason was a part of the team before he ever had a child on the team. “I remember exactly when I started because it was a year before my oldest son, Trey, was born,” he recalls. But Jason was not a novice to the sport of swimming. Jason had experience as both an athlete and a coach prior to joining the Breakers. “I swam my whole life. I swam at the University of Delaware and coached and swam in High School,” he said. After moving to North Carolina, Jason’s nieces and nephews swam with the Breakers and his brother-in-law was a coach with the Breakers which gave him an opportunity with the team. As a volunteer coach for the 6 and under group (those swimmers who are 6 years old and younger), Jason has seen the growth and success of the team with a unique vantage point.
Mike Rasp is another Breakers member who has seen the team grow. Mike has been a part of the Breakers family for the past 22 years. Being a parent to 4 swimmers on the team, and currently the ‘unofficial’ photographer for the team, Mike has been able to capture some of the most memorable moments over the last 22 years. “When we started with the Breakers, there were a total of 50 swimmers,” he recalls. Just to put that number into perspective, as of May, 2018 the Breakers have 225 swimmers, 2 head coaches and 11 assistant coaches.
Ask any swim parent and they will tell you that swim meets can be long and hot and you probably spend approximately five total minutes of a four (or more!) hour meet watching your own child swim. Because of the length of the meets and the abundant amount of downtime, many families have formed strong friendships in the sweltering North Carolina summer sun. “I can remember Sunday afternoons, while the kids were having their practice the parents would bring food and we had three or four grills and we would all eat together. And this wasn’t just a one-time thing, it was a given every Sunday,” Mike said. Although the team is a bit too large for Sunday afternoon grilling each week, that bond and family atmosphere is as present as ever. It is not unusual to see families gathered together under tents at practices and meets, sharing coolers of cold fruit or ice cream and the children playing together on the grassy hill or on blankets on the deck in-between their particular events. It is this family atmosphere and philosophy of sportsmanship that both Jason and Mike are most proud of.
As you walk in the entrance of the Lila Jones pool, there is a display case with awards and medals won over the years. This case has become increasingly more crowded over the last 18 years. “In 2000, we were 21st out of 26 teams in our division.
In 2018, we will start the season 1st out of 49 teams,” Jason said. Quite an accomplishment for a team that once had only 50 swimmers. With the success of Olympians like Michael Phelps and Missy Franklin, the sport of swimming has become increasingly more popular. Seeing these athletes excel has given many swimmers something to strive for. Within the Breakers family there are state record holders, year-round competitive swimmers and college athletes who have received scholarships for their talent. But if you ask Jason what he thinks is the reason for the Breakers growing success, his answer might surprise you.
In fact, all you have to do is attend a Breakers practice or meet to see that sportsmanship and camaraderie in action. Always encouraging each other, not to win, but to do their own personal best. Cheering on the opposing team when a swimmer is struggling or starting a cheer in support of one of their own who is giving all they have to touch that wall at the end of a meet even when they were last to do so. It is not unusual to see one of the assistant coaches run up to a swimmer at the end of a stroke and tell them how proud they are of them for not giving up. That is what Jason wants these athletes to walk away with much more than any trophy or medal.
Although extremely modest about his part in fostering the culture that he holds so dear, Mike is quick to point out what a large part Jason has played in the development of the team. “He has been a huge part of continuing and emphasizing the culture, especially as the numbers were growing and making sure that was maintained,” Mike said.
The success that the Breakers have seen does not happen overnight, and it certainly doesn’t happen without the help and support of its volunteers. It was only a few year ago that the team only had a TSA (Triangle Swim Association) representative, two coaches and a few parent volunteers, including Mike’s wife, Peggy. Today, the team has a board comprised of eight members and countless numbers of parent volunteers to help whenever and wherever needed. Jason and Mike are quick to point out that these volunteers are an integral part of the Breakers family. “The coaches are the only paid position on our team. Our board is made up of all volunteers. As that saying goes, ‘It takes a village’, and the number of individuals that volunteer to make a swim program happen is unbelievable. We need to give a lot of credit to everyone who has ever volunteered at a swim meet. Especially the boards of all the swim teams out there that are made up of parents, they really need to be recognized,” Jason said. Thanks to the growing number of volunteers over time, Breaker parents are now able to make sure they can see their child swim and not have their attention taken away. “It is so important to get that wet hug as your child gets out of the pool,” Mike said. Because even with all the cheers and high-fives, sometimes a big wet hug from mom or dad is all a swimmer needs to feel like a winner.
For more than 5 decades, the Breakers have seen success and defeat in and out of the water. But one thing has been a constant, its culture. A culture of including and encouraging everyone from the fastest swimmer, to the swimmer who is afraid to put their face in the water. A culture that insists on cheering for the other team even when you are falling behind in points. A culture that makes the littlest rippler look up to a coach and say, “I’m going to be a Breakers coach one day.” It is that culture, not the trophies in the cabinet, that truly makes the Breakers number one.
