LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Grace James Academy dives in to history with a brand-new swim team.

Less than eight weeks ago, the swim team at Grace James Academy in Louisville's Russell neighborhood didn't exist. Now, some students who didn't even know how to swim are making laps across the pool.

One of those students, Kailyn Rutledge, slipped on a swim cap and goggles for her first practice this year, excited to try something new.

"It feels good, because, in sixth grade, I also wanted to do swimming, but they didn't have it," Kailyn said Thursday. "Some people may be scared to join the swim team. Well, I can't swim very well but I can still swim. So it feels good to empower people."

The new team has 15 swimmers, most of whom are middle-schoolers. Some of them didn't know how to swim before joining the team.

"... I didn't know how to swim at all," said Nicoll Pardo, a sixth-grader at Grace James. "The coach, she taught me how to swim."

Swim Coach Necolle Banks calls each practice a "blessing."

"It's an opportunity for us to learn how to swim, opportunity for us to get scholarships as well," Banks said. "So that's money sitting out there that we're not touching, because we don't know how to swim."

With every yard, Banks said the girls are getting stronger, faster and more confident.

"God is using me as a vessel to pour into these women," she said. "They have done amazing."

"They are encouraging each other. They help each other. If someone's last in one of the laps, they're all cheering 'Come on! Come on!' Somebody will go back and swim with other students and just help get there."

Together, Grace James placed ninth out of 12 teams at its first swim meet, leaving the block with zero hesitation for that next flip turn.

"Even though you can't swim, well, you should try," Kailyn said. "Go try it out."

They have four swim meets left for the rest of the season. The next meet is at 6 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center.

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