Submitted by OJ Mesina
The Springdale Sailfish swim team took to the water this year with the goals to work hard, swim well, and have fun! After a short, but energy-packed, season I am proud to say that team achieved those goals! We were 59 swimmers strong this year and this includes 17 new members to the Springdale Sailfish community. Fifteen of those new swimmers came from our “farm system”, Springdale swim lessons!
I along with Coach Amanda and the newest member of our team Coach Joanna, worked very hard to meet our goals! Our younger kids made huge strides throughout the season. Many started not knowing all the strokes or not being able to finish a single lap; but by the end of season, many had surpassed my expectations and truly became Sailfish in the water. That is more rewarding than any championship.
The Sailfish finished a strong 2nd in the small team division of the Northern Suburban Swim League (NSSL) Championships! We competed against Norwood, Reading and St. Bernard. While first place was just out of reach (95 points…in swimming terms that not that much) I am overjoyed with the way our kids performed. At championships, 47% percent of our swimmers achieved personal best times on those two hot days! It truly shows that if you work hard at practice you will see the results. We had some bad luck on the second day that cost us valuable points, but our swimmers held their heads high and continued to swim hard! That is a true sign of a champion!
As the season has come to a come to a close, I look back and see that championships are won because of the little things - like coming to practice with the desire to get better, wanting to be pushed outside of your comfort zone, listening to feedback and applying it, and treating every day of the six week season as a way to make yourself better not only as an individual swimmer, but as a member of a team who’s mission is to do their best at the right time. I have no doubt that if the swimmers of 2011 Springdale Sailfish do those small things, there may be some thing even better to talk about next year! Little things really do make the difference.
Thanks to all those people who made this season a success! I am very proud of all my swimmers, parents, and coaches who put the effort into this great season! I couldn’t have done it without you! Can’t wait to see everyone next summer - hopefully, we will have a bunch of new faces eager to swim!
Swimmingly Yours - Coach OJ