Lionfish Alex Myers cuts the water during breaststroke. The Lakelands team finished the regular A meet season undefeated (5-0).

The Lionfish continue to dominate the
J division of the Montgomery County Swim League (MCSL), topping both Norbeck Grove with a score of 444 to 330 points on July 10 and Eldwick with a score of 466 to 320 point on July 3. The Lionfish sit atop of the division with a record 5-0.

“We had a lot of all-star times in both of our last two meets. At the July 10 meet, the girls’ 175-meter relay was so close it came down to the touch where we got second. It was an exciting day,” said Lakelands Coach Brooke Hoffman.

On July 11 the team went on to place first of the six teams in Division J at the relay carnival, scoring 218 points.

“It was an exciting meet. We have 11 relays going to All Stars,” Hoffman said.

Relays consist of four swimmers and vary in stroke from the medley of four strokes to a single stroke. Relay teams placing first at the relay carnival event are invited to the All Star relay meet scheduled for July 31.

Lady Gagas: Kentlands Kingfish assistant coaches Katie White, Emma Lister and Amy Moores do their best imitation of Lady Gaga at the last Kentlands home swim team event.

The Kentlands Kingfish compete in MCSL Division D and hold a record of two wins and three losses.

On July 3 the team was just outpaced by Poolesville in a close meet, losing by a score of 414 to 377. The Kingfish dropped their July 10 meet against River Falls by a score of 479 to 312.

In the Division D relay meet, the Kentlands scored 122 points, putting them in fifth place.

The Kentlands Kingfish have some of the top swimmers in Montgomery County. Olivia French (9-10), John Henneman (11-12) and John Freeman (13-14) were each selected to participate in MCSL Coaches Long Course meet July 13. All are in the top 8 in the county in their respective events. French was slated to swim backstroke and butterfly; Henneman was slated to swim both freestyle and backstroke; and Freeman was selected for backstroke and butterfly.

Eight-year-old Lionfish Jacob Lindner also qualified for the meet in the backstroke event.

The MCSL Long Course meet is swum in a 50-meter pool rather than the 25-meter pool where most meets are held. All of the events are doubled in length.

Taylor congratulated his swimming seniors who are finishing their Kentlands swim careers this summer including: Warren Beecroft, Chloe Canetti, Colm Lister, Katherine Osorio and Amanda Simon.

“All five are fantastic kids and wonderful role models for our younger swimmers. I will miss them very much,” he said.

These timers know every second counts.

It’s a good thing, because at the Lakelands Lionfish reverse swim meet it was the parents doing the racing and their kids running the meet.

More than 40 parents of Lakelands Lionfish swimmers participated in the meet on July 16, the first time parents and swimmers switched roles.

Lionfish volunteer Marci McCalley spearheaded the effort, putting together 10 events with a mix of fun and traditional swim races.

“When I talked about it last year people thought it would be fun, but when we started talking about it seriously this year parents were not so willing to agree to participate,” McCalley said. “It was really when we announced it to the kids that the parents started agreeing to sign on and participate. Then it got rolling from there with a lot of ‘I will do it if you do.’”

Parents got a chance to race down the pool in 25-meter freestyle, butterfly and backstroke events. They teamed up for 100-meter freestyle relays. Fun races included one in which parents had to smash their faces into plates of whipped cream to find a Starburst candy and prove to the Lionfish kid judge that it was gone before diving in the pool in a four-swimmer relay. Other parents competed in a lane pull race in which they had to use the lane ropes to get to the other end. There was a water job race and kickboard events, too.

The most popular event was the 25-meter freestyle where there were four heats. Swimming parent Marci McCalley was crowned Queen of the Pool for having the fastest freestyle time at 15.34, and Michael Brick and Rene Brun shared the King of the Pool honor, tying for the fastest male freestyler at 13.62.

“It was a blast,” said swimming parent Jen Coulson, who entered in several events. “I had a goggle malfunction during the race.”

Lionfish swimmer Nick Ransing checks to be sure his parent swimmer finished chewing his candy in the Starburst relay race during the Reverse Swim Meet.

“I think my dad did amazing,” said Sam Parsons whose father, Phil, swam in the 25-meter butterfly event. “I didn’t even know he could do butterfly.”

Lionfish swimmer Lyla Kim watched as her mom motored her way down the lane in the kickboard race.

“She was really fast,” she said.

Many Lionfish parents prepared for the Friday meet.

“Lots of lionfish parents were spotted up at the pool the week before,” McCalley said. Lakelands coaches offered parents a tune-up clinic earlier in the week.

Still, many parents said they had more respect for how hard their kids worked during practices.

“My daughter Caroline signed me up I think as a measure of revenge,” said Andy Kopsidas, who raced in the rope pull event, winning his heat.

Team manager Connie Ingalls, who was disqualified for a false start in one of her events, said she hopes the reverse swim meet becomes an annual Lionfish tradition.

“I’m just glad they didn’t put us in age groups,” she said. “It does make you realize how hard it is for these kids to do all these events in one meet.”

From parents who swam to those who helped to sell concessions to the kids who ran the meet, McCalley said the event was a success.

“The meet was fun to plan as I was thinking about what would be the most fun for the kids. And the best part was seeing the kids’ reactions to the parents swimming, from the laughs to the high-fives and especially the hugs,” she said.

Nick Ransing spreads his wings during the butterfly.

The Lakelands Lionfish swim team finished the A meet season undefeated (5-0) on Saturday. Congratulations!

Now that school is out, swim practices are taking place twice a day for swimmers at neighborhood pools.

Both teams this year have tallied their highest number of swimmers. The Kentlands Kingfish have 222 members this year, and the Lakelands Lionfish topped 190, marking the largest teams to date.

In fact, both teams are close to being the largest among all teams participating within the Montgomery County Swim League (MCSL).

“We do not have numbers for the teams, but from what I recall in talking with other reps, any team with over 200 swimmers is going to qualify as one of the largest MCSL teams. One year I had heard the Flower Valley team had around 250 swimmers,” said Bob Hincke, who is in charge of records and certification for MCSL.

So many kids wanted to join the Lakelands team that for a brief period swimmers were put on a wait list. This year’s pre-team for the Lionfish capped at 36 swimmers. The number of young swimmers wanting to become Lionfish was so high that the team had to implement a short wait list for a time until stronger swimmers could move up to join the regular team.

Lionfish Team Manager Connie Ingalls said in the future the team might have to increase the swimming ability testing to limit the number of kids who can safely be accommodated on the pre-team.

“We don’t want to turn anyone away,” she said. “The question does become what is the capacity for a community pool?”

This is the first year the team had to create a wait list to be sure the coaching staff had enough pool helpers to ensure the safety of the pre-team members.

Lakelands remains a young team, with a record 69 swimmers entered in the 8-and-under age category (not including pre-team). Another 57 swimmers are enrolled in the 9/10 age group; 24 in the 11/12 grouping; 15 in the 13/14 age group; and seven swimmers in the 15/18 age category.

Last year’s team totaled 155 swimmers. For the Lakelands Lionfish the bulk of new growth came from the 36 new families adding to the team.

“We picked up way more families this year,” Ingalls said. The Lionfish had half that many new families join last year. “We have a reputation for being a fantastically fun swim team.”

While Lakelands is seeing record younger swimmers, Kentlands tallied its most swimmers in the 15 – 18 category. This age group has 31 swimmers, the largest group Kingfish Coach Jonathan Taylor said he has ever coached on a community swim team.

Taylor said he wants to highlight his graduating seniors who are not only assets to the team, but also great role models out of the pool.

“They are a great group of real decent kids,” he said.

Keeping older kids on board is one of the challenges of coaching a summer swim team.

“Jonathan is the teen connection that fuels life into this age group, which is traditionally difficult to maintain,” said Kingfish Team Representative Tami Henneman. “Swim teams thrive on the relationships between all age groups, the younger kids looking up to the older kids and the older kids mentoring the younger ones.  We are very, very fortunate to have this precious community dynamic.”

Rounding out the Kentlands team are: 29 13/14-year-old swimmers; 33 11/12-year-old swimmers; 38 9/10-year-old swimmers; 69 8-and-under swimmers; and 22 pre-team members.

“We have grown by leaps and bounds,” Taylor said.

Even with a pump delivering chemotherapy treatment into his body, Thrush volunteered as a timer for the team he loved.

On June 12, the Lionfish celebrated his life and dedication to the team with a memorial tree planting and plaque. Thrush died January 11 at 52 years old after battling colon cancer and is survived by wife Anne, sons Grant and Sam, and daughters Emma and Sophie. The Thrush boys and daughter Emma all swam for the team, and Emma is continuing as a Lionfish this summer.

“The Lionfish lost a member of our family when Dean Thrush died. We wanted to do something to remember him by. Everybody liked Dean,” said Connie Ingalls, Lionfish team manager.

Thrush’s family and Ingalls spoke about his contributions as a father and community member before taking a plaque to a tree planted in his honor near the path to Billy’s Playground off Main Street.

“The swim team was always his thing,” said Anne Thrush. “Even when he got sick there was not question he would continue to help the team.” Ironically, she said, Dean didn’t know how to swim himself.

A robust man, Thrush was an active father who could be found teaching Sam, a Rachel Carson fourth grader, to snap a football; helping eldest son Grant with his advanced math homework; taking 5-year-old Sophie to Billy’s Playground; and cheering on Emma as she swam for the Lionfish.

“He loved to go to all the meets and watch us. We got really excited when we swam in his lane,” Emma said. “He just liked being with us.”

Thrush was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in early spring 2009, and it quickly spread throughout his body. Despite fighting a tough and brave battle against the cancer, Thrush died in January, his family by his side.

Thrush is buried in a family grave site in his hometown of Shippensburg, Pa. Anne said she is glad to have a memorial now close to home.

“His burial plot is too far for [the kids] to see his grave so it will be nice that this tree is close by. Sam will pass it every day when he goes to school,” she said.

Growing up on a farm with parents who were landscapers, Anne said a tree is a fitting way to honor him.

“As the years go by, the tree will bloom and grow, and it is in a spot where we all pass by it and can see it and think of what a great swim team dad he was,” Ingalls said.