Swim Team Coaches

Larry McMahan

Dedication, devotion, inspiration, motivation, and sheer excellence are just a few words that come to mind when you think of Coach LarryMcMahan.  From the moment a swimmer joins the team, regardless of his or her ability, Larry welcomes them whole heartedly and devotes his time to helping each swimmer succeed.  He instills in them the Y core values and challenges the swimmers to put their whole heart and soul in all that they do.  Not only does Larry dedicate hours beyond the duties of the head coach, he also encourages the swimmers to attend non-swimming events to build camaraderie between older and younger participants.  With Larry’s persistence and overwhelming concern for and belief in each swimmer, we not only call ourselves Piranhas, but also a big family.

My name is Elizabeth Durham, and I am currently a junior at Southern Wesleyan University studying to be an elementary school teacher. I am from Liberty, South Carolina, where I have lived all of my life. I have worked for the YMCA for three years now and have been blessed to be involved with the aquatics department.  I have led swimming lessons, been a water fitness instructor, lifeguard, and now the super squad 1 coach.  I have been swimming as long as I can remember, and my nanny would call me “her little fish” because I could swim all day and not be tired of the water.  When I was ten years old, my mom began enrolling me in swimming lessons at the YMCA; I was able to become more efficient with stokes as my participation in these classes continued.  As I get older, I find myself growing more and more in love with the sport. I am very excited to be able to coach the super squad 1 team, and help them grow not only in their swimming abilities but as individuals as well.

  My name is Arianna Lester.  I am 41 years old and live in Easley.   I have 4 children, 3 of which are on the swim team this summer season.  My kids have been swimming with Pickens since 2008.   I feel honored to be a part of the Pickens YMCA swim team.  I coach the lower intermediate team.  At this level, I  will introduce the swimmers to butterfly and breast stroke while gaining more distinct techniques in their freestyle and backstroke.  From the age of 5 to 14 I swam competitively for the Salisbury Rowan YMCA in Salisbury, NC.  My favorite stroke was (and still is) backstroke.  I was able to reach an AA time in some freestyle and backstroke events and got the opportunity to attend the Jr. Olympics.  Now, I know that was a long time ago, but my love for the sport is still very strong.   I am looking forward to this season with the Piranhas!!

My name is Brittany McMahan and yes, I am related to Coach Larry. He's my dad. My parents had me swimming on my own at 2 years old and when I was in the 4th grade, I started swimming for the PCY Piranhas. I am now 21 years old and I'm in my 12th year swimming on the team. I am also a lifeguard and swim lessons instructor at the PCY. I graduated from Liberty High School in 2008 and I am currently a student at Tri-County Tech where I am studying to be a Spanish Teacher with a minor in photography. After Tri-County, I plan on getting my degree from either University of South Carolina Upstate (Go Gamecocks!) or Clemson. This will be my second season coaching the advanced team and I can't wait to see what this season holds for the entire team. Let's go Piranhas!