Valhalla, Westlake, Briarcliff and Pleasantville schools have merged their swim teams into one — The Mount Pleasant Tsunami.

This initiative requires the districts to share the expenses that come with a team, including equipment, field maintenance, and transportation to and from games.

Merging sports teams with other smaller districts is becoming more common in the U.S., mostly due to declining participation and tight budgets. The move to merge teams can help to preserve sports that are offered by one or both schools.

While the merger does solve these problems, some smaller schools who lose their colors and mascots may feel as though they are also losing a part of their identity as a student body.

Some communities may also need to overcome the inherent animosity of years of rivalry in sports, but that takes time and good leadership. 

The next swim meet for the Mount Pleasant Tsunami is at 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 23 at Pace University.