Moroz makes waves with Tigers

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

Maya Moroz has the heart of a champion.
Moroz might not have won her final meet of the season, but the way she was able to grow as an athlete throughout this swim season with the Trinity Christian Academy Tigers was gold-medal worthy.
Moroz was born with an array of heart conditions. Doctors discovered seven different heart defects, which hospitalized her for over a year and a half before she turned five-years-old.
Her condition is a rarity; neither her older brother nor younger sister have any heart issues. These days, she only has one ventricle pumping blood throughout her body, as opposed to two ventricles like most healthy hearts.
Now 11, Moroz has been surgery free for five years and began to experiment in the sporting world. After testing the waters in some school running programs, she decided to dip her toe into aquatics.
“Of course, we were a little nervous, but we thought it was something she could handle,” said Shannon Moroz, Maya’s mother. “In running, if you get tired, you can slow down and breathe. In swimming, you don’t really have that option.
“The way her heart works, she has to put out 100 per cent effort to achieve the same result to match that of a similar kid her age putting 50 per cent effort in.”
With that in mind, midway through January, Shannon and Maya met with Tricia Hincks, the head coach of the Tigers swim program.
“I knew a little bit about Maya’s condition being a teacher at the school. But the three of us still sat down to talk about things before the season started to let me know to keep an extra eye on her,” said Hincks. “I was a little nervous at first, as I needed to figure out her boundaries and wanted to make sure we weren’t pushing her too hard. We kept her on the outside lane so she always had the wall to grab onto in case she needed help and I think that really helped.”
Maya didn’t take to the pool like a fish, but she was really enjoying the early morning practices twice a week at the Strathmore Aquatic Centre.
“Ever since I was in Grade 4, I learned about the swim team and it was something I always wanted to join,” said Maya, the Grade 5 student. “Once I got my Level 5 in swimming lessons I was able to join. But I didn’t just want to join, I also didn’t want to come in last and let my team down.”
It took some work on everyone’s end, but Maya was slowly getting the hang of it. Like most beginners, Hincks slotted her to compete in the backstroke and freestyle, both in the 50-metre distances.
“As we kept going, I pushed her a little bit more,” said Hincks. “She kept telling me she wasn’t feeling any discomfort, so we kept going. It was really incredible to see her come along through the season.”
Maya missed the first meet of the season, but was present for the final two, growing enough as a swimmer to be confident in competition pinned against other swimmers.
But coming into her final meet May 9 going up against the Strathmore Silver Sharks Swim Club, Maya saved her best for last.
“It just shows the courage and strength in our team to help out a swimmer like myself,” said Maya. “Being a kid with heart issues, it makes it harder to keep up with the others, but they did a great job helping me out this season.”
Lining up in her two events, Maya pulled off a time of 1:10 in both the back and free – both new personal bests.
For her efforts, Maya earned a ribbon and a few months worth of memories that will last a lifetime. She might not have walked away with a gold medal, but Maya certainly has the one characteristic many coaches want in their teams – heart.
“Just because kids like myself have heart issues doesn’t mean that we can’t participate in sports,” said Maya. “It was awesome to be a part of a team this year.”