![WSPN’s Annika Martins and Maddie Zajac explore the athletic life of senior Annabelle Zhang through her badminton career. “This [photo] is me and my former partner after we won the 2022 junior nationals mixed doubles category,” Zhang said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_6629-1200x900.jpg)
In the 11th edition of WSPN goes clubbing, WSPN’s Annika Martins and Jenny Shine interview Water Warriors co-leader Zach Rainville.
What is Water Warriors?
“Water Warriors is a program in Wayland at the high school,” Rainville said. “A lot of the younger METCO students in the middle school and the elementary schools don’t have access to pools in Boston, so what Water Warriors does is provide an opportunity for a lot of these kids to get lessons so they have water safety skills.”
How did this club begin?
“It began 20 or 30 years ago,” Rainville said. “I’m not too sure about the history, but I know it started with a small group of high schoolers and it expanded into a pretty big [and] popular club before COVID. It kind of fell apart over the pandemic, and then after, we kind of rebuilt it and it’s getting back to where it was.”
Why should someone join the club?
“Because it’s a great opportunity to feel like you’re really helping [and] making a difference,” Rainville said. “A lot of these kids come in with absolutely no water experience, they don’t even know how to float, and we help them develop skills so they can stay safe around water.”
What are meetings like and how often are they?
“There’s 10 Wednesday sessions over the spring from March to May,” Rainville said. “Besides that, if you’re a group leader, there’s a little bit more time put into it, but other than that, there’s like two or three meetings over the winter just to set the stage for the 10 sessions.”
What is one goal that you have for the club this year?
“I hope we get to a point where we’re organized enough [to] help more people than last year and accept more people than last year to the program,” Rainville said.
