It was a battle in the pool July 16-17 as the Wyoming Aquatic Center hosted more than 700 swimmers from neighboring municipal pool swim teams for the annual Northern Suburban Swim League Championships.
This event is a swim meet on overdrive, with over 300 individual events, more than 2,000 entries, and at least 400 volunteers, and it must go off without a hitch. That doesn’t even begin to count the parents, grandparents, younger siblings, and coaching and pool staff that must all be accommodated with food, beverages, parking, tent space, and loads and loads of patience.
Each club hosts the event once every eight years, and more than a year of planning goes into it, says Rachel Leininger, director of Community Engagement and Recreation for Wyoming.
“No one counted the number of band aids, blisters, ice packs, ibuprofen, sleepless nights, emails, text messages, and sunburns that this planning crew collected, but it was worth it for the number of smiles, thank you’s, hugs, and congratulations we received,” says Laura Connock, swim parent and Parent Board President.
How did Wyoming swimmers do? Overall, the team finished second, a top showing in a very competitive league, says Connock. Congratulations to the team!
