Grandpa Greg was the first to discover Anderson Barry's special talent.

Now, Anderson's accomplishments are causing the swimming world to take notice.

The seventh-grader from West Hempfield has been making waves this spring with a pair of impressive pool performances.

Shortly after a Michael Phelpsian showing in the 11 to 12 age group during the 2025 Middle Atlantic Junior Championships, Anderson turned 13 and moved up to the 13 to 14 age bracket.

The change in age group is going, uh, swimmingly.

At the Eastern Zone Short Course (SC) Age Group Championships in Webster, N.Y., April 2 to 5, Anderson competed in four events against the top swimmers from Maine to Virginia in his first meet as a 13-year-old: the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke, and 200 backstroke.

Anderson, who is a member of Five Star Swim Club, which operates out of the Lititz recCenter, advanced to the finals in both the 100 and 200 backstroke. Seeded 26th in the 100, he placed sixth (53.96 seconds), and he finished fourth in the 200 (1:57.95), 11 spots better than his seed.

"He went to this meet and knocked our socks off," Anderson's mother, Ambre, said. "We didn't expect him to make the finals. And he dropped three seconds (off his best time) in the 100 back and the 200 back."

Anderson added, "I knew I just wanted to try my best in the new age bracket. I like when I have a lot of competition because that's when I drop time."

Anderson turned in a historic outing in the Middle Atlantic Junior Championships, which was held March 13 to 16, prior to his 13th birthday, at the Kunkel Aquatic Center on the campus of Franklin & Marshall College.

Competing in the 11 to 12 age group against swimmers from eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and southern New Jersey, Anderson was on cloud nine.

Anderson entered nine events and earned nine first-place medals, winning the 50 freestyle (23.89), 100 freestyle (51.42), 200 freestyle (1:53.76), 50 backstroke (27.20), 100 backstroke (57.26), 200 backstroke (2:01.55), 50 butterfly (25.33), 100 butterfly (57.67), and 100 individual medley (1:00.03).

How did Anderson feel after such an achievement? "I was tired," Anderson said half-jokingly. "I didn't expect to do that well. I thought maybe I would get a couple firsts but not nine firsts."

"One percent have ever done this," Five Star coach Mark Daum told Anderson, referring to swimmers winning nine events.

"Anderson's performance was out of this world," Daum said. "Nine events and nine first-place finishes is unheard of in the swimming world. We knew it would be hard to top that kind of performance going into the (Eastern) Zone meet, especially with Anderson just turning 13, but again he took it to another level by turning in six lifetime best times in his six swims and qualifying for the finals in two of his events. He is a hard-working and humble young man, traits that are serving well in the pool and will serve him well in life."

Anderson got some well-deserved rest after the two big meets. The short course season (25 yards) is ending, and the long course schedule will heat up. A long course, also referred to as an Olympic-size pool, is 50 meters.

He plans to compete in a meet in May and a couple in June. The long course Middle Atlantic Junior Championships will be held in July, and the Eastern Zone long course meet is slated for August. Anderson has also qualified in the 100 and 200 backstroke for the short course Eastern Zone Sectionals next March.

Anderson is a seventh-grade homeschool blend student. He attends Anchor Christian Academy on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is homeschooled on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

He practices at Five Star three or four times a week and follows a training regimen, which is regulated by Ambre, who is a dietitian.

Anderson, who also enjoys drawing, noted that one of the reasons he improves is he studies the technique of other swimmers. "I try to incorporate that in practice," he said. "And I engage in practice more than I used to, which has made a big difference."

His long-term goals include competing in the short course Junior Nationals and swimming in college.

Not even Anderson's grandfather Greg Shawley could have predicted Anderson would be this successful when Shawley first suggested that Anderson take up the sport.

"When I was really young swimming at my grandpa's pool, I had my floaties on, and I just swam across the pool decently well," Anderson recalled. "Then my grandpa said, 'Hey! He should be in swim lessons.'"

When Anderson was 5, he joined the Mountville team in the Lancaster Summer Swim League coached by his preschool teacher, Jill Skiles, where he competed in the 8-under division.

At 6, he broke a backstroke record at Elizabethtown Aquatic Club. "That was kind of the tip off for us that there's something different with this kid," said Ambre.

Anderson is thankful for all his coaches, including Isaac Greene of Elizabethtown, who made sure to watch one of Anderson's races at the junior championships. His biggest fans are his family, including his older sister, Gigi; his dad, Brad; and Ambre.

Anderson said the main reason he enjoys swimming is the friendships he has cultivated. "I make a lot of friends during the meets," he said.

"The medals are nice, but he'd rather be around his friends," Brad said. "He has a God-given gift to swim, but when it's over, he's texting friends from across the country."

Ambre added, "He would rather have a friend than a medal. We're grateful for that."