A snowbird will take flight in the pool this summer for the Aberdeen Swim Club.

Quinton Anderson, who grew up in Aberdeen, will compete for the Stingrays despite living in Florida for half of the year. The 15-year-old moved there because of his dad’s new job.

“So last winter, my dad accepted a job in Florida. The plan was just to move down there, but since we are home schooled, the plans were able to change moments before,” Anderson said. “We could kind of snowbird all as a family, so during the winter months, we go down to Florida and then when it’s state, we come back up north to compete.”

Even though moving during the year can be stressful, especially for a kid in high school, Anderson sees the positives.

“It’s great being able to come back and forth. It allows me to get some high quality training down in Florida,” Anderson said, “and compete with people from my speed because Florida ultimately has more people, so it’s a lot more competitive.”

Despite the positives, there is a drawback having to leave friends and teammates.

“I have a lot of good friends here, so that’s one of the big reasons we’re back here,” Anderson said. “It’s good to come back and see all my friends, and then disappear again.”

Ultimately, there are pros and cons to being a snowbird.

“I have really good friends down here, and it’s home down here. So, yes, sometimes there’s days I’m like, ‘Man I wish I could see all my friends again,’” Anderson said. “And then there’s days I love being down in Florida.”

Because the weather in Florida is nicer than the weather in Aberdeen, especially in the winter months, swimmers are able to practice outside year around, whereas in Aberdeen, practice is limited to indoor facilities.

Even with the indoor practice, it is still a little tougher than down in Florida.

“Ultimately, when it is colder, usually we’re inside. So, it’s usually not as much of a big deal,” Anderson said. “But here, it is a little bit tougher because it is cold. We were practicing outside in Florida and it was 70 degrees, maybe at the coldest. Here the highest maybe is 70 degrees.”

Also, with Florida being engulfed by a beach, there’s an opportunity to train swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, however that has not happened yet.

“I have not. That’s an idea,” Anderson said about training in the ocean. “Another thought is to maybe do water polo.”

Anderson said that he experienced the sport a couple years back and fell in love with it.

“So, there is a water polo team, maybe. I don’t know if it’s actually going to be seriously considered, but it is an option that I want to do,” said Anderson. “I love water polo. Back a couple years ago, in off season training, we did some water polo stuff and I really enjoyed it.”

Anderson will be competing in the annual Summer High Point Swim Meet this weekend at the Aberdeen Aquatic Center and is excited to see how his off-season training will impact his results.

“It’s gonna be awesome. It’s really great to be back with friends,” Anderson said. “I hit a massive growth spurt and started training really hard this last winter and saw a lot of results. So, it’s gonna be a fun weekend.”

Anderson will be competing for the Stingrays all summer and is ready for the big home meet Friday through Sunday.

“Let’s have some fun this weekend,” Anderson said. “Let’s go race.”