By Alan Karickhoff, College Swimming Intern
“Where should I park?” I asked a volunteer who stood at the entrance to the Manry Park parking lot entrance at the end of Arnold Avenue. The lot fitting approximately 200 vehicles was nearly full, when I pulled up around 11:30 a.m.
Cars filled Manry Park’s parking lot in Willowick, Ohio because it was day one of the 2016 Northeast Ohio Suburban Swim League Championships.
This year, 10 teams participated. Team sizes ranged from 38 swimmers to 138 swimmers, totaling 858 athletes over the two-day event. There were 2,338 individual entries and 355 relay entries.
Suburban Swim League Score Board
The City of Willowick’s Manry Pool
It was my 15th appearance at an SSL championship, previously a swimmer and coach of the Willoughby Stingers, and I was delighted to still be greeted by hugs from parents of friends with kids still in the league. I was also approached by swimmers who I coached three years earlier, now standing nearly at eye-level with me, no longer hugging me around the waist. Some of the swimmers even took up coaching roles. Though 15 years is a significant time frame in my 22 years of living, it pales in comparison to the dedication to the League by Willowick’s head coach, Jack DiCello.
Jack has been the head coach of the Willowick Wildkats for the past 12 seasons, but his connection with the team spans more than twice my time with the Willoughby Stingers. Since his birth in 1977, he watched his older sister swim for the Wildkats, swam, himself, for the Wildkats, lifeguarded at the Manry Pool where he met his wife, and is now a coach and parent of swimmers with the Wildkats.
Photo Courtesy: Willowick Wildkats
“Currently, five of my six kids swim for the Willowick Wildkats. Much like me, my youngest, Cecelia (age 3), can always be found running around the pool deck waiting for her moment to shine.”
Jack continues with what makes the team successful, “The parent group is second to none – they are supportive and work collaboratively. The support we receive from the city is also remarkable. Our recreation director, Julie Kless, enables our success with her unending support.”
Photo Courtesy: Willowick Wildkats
Though Northeast Ohio and the SSL produce many high caliber swimmers, Jack describes that the foundation of the Wildkats “is based on being a better swimmer than you were the previous day by working hard, striving for personal bests and most importantly, having ‘Wildkat Class.”
“[Wildkat Class] includes things like winning with grace and losing with dignity…treating yourself, your teammates and your opponents with respect…it’s shaking hands at the ends of the race…it’s accepting a bad time and making a plan to get better instead of getting upset…it’s representing Willowick in the best possible way.”
While Willowick creates a constant reminder of great sportsmanship, it is clear the rest of the league respects themselves and their competitors equally. After every race, I watched swimmers between 9 years old and 15 years old shake the hands of those in the lanes next to them, regardless of who touched first or last.
Even the heat sheet shows the SSL’s dedication to a behavior expected throughout the league. On page one a code of conduct is written with a strict message of instilling good sportsmanship and “that winning is not the most important thing, but that team interaction and self-improvement are desirable goals in growing towards adulthood and interaction in life.”
Euclid Panthers, winners of the Team Sportsmanship Award, cheer for their teammates
On page seven, a letter from the Mayor of Willowick, Richard J. Regovich, welcomes swimmers, parents, and fans of the Suburban Swim League. He is “fortunate to have great coaches, superb volunteers and excellent fans throughout the league that have supported these swimmers all summer.” Before wishing the swimmers good luck, he notes that “The spirit, dedication, hard work and commitment of each swimmer is amazing, and seeing the camaraderie and sportsmanship they have displayed all season long makes us proud of them.”
Then, finally after a page thanking the local sponsors of the meet, one would see “Event 1 Girls 11-12 200 SC Meter Freestyle” printed at the top of the page. Throughout the heat and lane assignments, loved ones submitted pages of good wishes,
“Do Your Best
Breathing is Optional
Good Luck
Bailey
Oliver
&
Bridget
Love, Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa”
Event 29, the girls 9-10 100 meter freestyle marks the first event of day two, hosted by the Highland Heights Hurricanes. On day two the 8-and-under age group also competes.
Andrea Radel, first-year head coach of the Mentor Marlins, explains that these youngsters and her other swimmers teach her that “you learn to have patience. The swimmers also teach me that no matter your age, do not forget to have fun.”
Head Coach Andrea Radel and Mentor Marlins dressed in their spirit wear for SSL Champs
Mallory, a 13-year-old swimmer from Mentor experienced how a season of hard-work and a fun atmosphere pays off. She stood behind lane one in the final heat of the girls 13-15 200 IM, seeded six seconds slower than the fastest seed.
Andrea recounts:
“She was nervous because she was racing against some older swimmers… We drew a spider on a piece of paper to show her during her turns. She’s afraid of spiders, so we thought it would help her swim faster… During the breaststroke, she started to pull ahead and she kicked it into fifth gear during the free and won… I would love to have that race on video …”
Mallory dropped exactly 10 seconds from her seed time, beating the next competitor by more than a second.
Though the recreational league’s main focus is not on producing some of the best swimmers in the country, it still manages to do so. Derek Hren (North Carolina State University ‘17), Andrea Bartel (Cincinnati University ‘17), Samantha Lisy (Indiana University ‘18), KJ Stang (Yale ’16), and Dan Nemeth (Miami University ’15) are just a few previous SSL swimmers turned college athlete with records still floating around the SSL.
Not only are these some of the best swimmers in the country, but they are some of the best people in the country. I personally only know a few of those listed, but of those few, and judging by their success and behavior, I know they still carry the life lessons instilled in them through the SSL.
Can’t forget the Pinegate swim team. Pinegate is a community of around 200 homes that sponsors the only non-city team in the SSL. They are competitive and have produced great swimmers and coaches despite their limited draw population. Great job SSL – and huge kudos to the Pinegate Gators ?