EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2012 graduates of the Twin Lakes Thunder Bolts swim team have stuck together for more than a decade. This team has broken many pool and DeKalb County summer swim league records. The following is Part 3 of 7 in a series of features about these accomplished swimmers.

He may have moved away for a couple of years, but Michael Eriksen found his way back to the pool.

Eriksen, an Atlanta native and Westminster graduate, formed a friendship with his fellow classmates in the Twin Lakes Thunder Bolts swim club in 1999. That bond was not severed even after Eriksen moved away for two years.

“I am such good friends with all the guys here,” Eriksen said. “Since we have spent so much time training, I have really gotten to know these guys and it has been great.”

Eriksen said he has enjoyed swimming with the Dynamo Swim Club, but he has enjoyed the more relaxed atmosphere of the Twin Lakes practices.

Eriksen said the camaraderie with his fellow swimmers was a high point of his time at Twin Lakes.

“Not all of us go to different schools, but some of us do, so we don’t see each other for the whole year,” Eriksen said. “But when we come back for the summer, we are automatically back where we were last summer.”

Winning races and breaking DeKalb County records helped Eriksen get back in the pool each summer at Twin Lakes.

“It is not that big of a sport, so you will know pretty much everyone at the meets,” Eriksen said. “And you want to stack up well against everyone. The competitive aspect of the sport is awesome.”

Eriksen was part of the first record his age group broke in the relays. He said when the 9-10 year olds record fell the entire relay team was ready to keep breaking records.

“We realized then that we could break records and we might want to try a little harder every race,” he said.

Eriksen has also been a part of another relay record and individual records in the 100-meter IM and 50 backstroke in the 13-14 age group. He also has records in the 15-18 100 IM.

Eriksen is headed to the College of Charleston (S.C.) on a swimming scholarship. He said he is undecided on a major, but he is interested in following a math or science path.