CATfish Columbus Aquatic Team

The Columbus Aquatic Team (CATfish) is a seasonal swim team that is a member of the Smallest Aquatic League in Texas (SALT) competitive swimming league. The team was formed by Buddy & Charlene Anderson in the late 1980s. The team has continued to grow for almost 40 years.

Other members of the SALT league include the Fayette Area Swim Team, Schulenburg Sharks and WAKE Aquatics of Rockdale. Competition structure is 3 dual meets (2 team competitions). 1 meet is conducted with each member team (rotating home and away meets per competitive team each year). With current league membership, CATfish competes in 4 regular season meets and qualifying swimmers compete in the Meet of Champs - the only meet where all 4 teams compete together.

Home Meets are held at Columbus City Pool on Saturday or Monday. Away meets may be held on a Saturday morning or Monday evening at the respective opponents pool. The Meet of Champs is currently held at the El Campo Aquatic center on a Saturday and marks the end of the season.

CATfish is open to all school-aged children in the Colorado County and surrounding areas. Registration occurs in April. Registration is online and the link will be published on our website, Facebook page, and in the paper. We will have 1 in person registration day at the pool. 

Currently, the season begins with tryouts in May and concludes by the end of June. Swimmers must compete in a minimum of 2 meets to be eligible for the Meet of Champs. Swim practices in May are after school during the week and in June during the week in the mornings. 

High School Senior swimmers are eligible for scholarships from CATfish. This is a great benefit of participating. Scholarships are based on the number of years each swimmer participates during their high school years with a bonus for swimming prior to high school. Seniors must swim their senior year or complete the alternative qualification requirements to be eligible.