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<\/p>\nThe Memorial Day weekend that just passed marks the symbolic start of America\u2019s summer. And with it comes the kickoff of a longstanding American tradition \u2013 summer league swimming for kids \u2013 that\u2019s going to be warmly received after a year of lockdowns.<\/p>\n
Throughout the country, boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18 will be donning suits, caps\u00a0and goggles as part of a routine that typically includes weekday morning practices and weekend meets. If you\u2019ve ever wondered why the United States dominates swimming in the Olympics \u2013 having won more than four times\u00a0the number of gold medals as any other country \u2013 the summer league system is part of the answer.<\/p>\n
It introduces kids to the sport in what economists might call an \u201coptimized environment.\u201d Start with virtually all summer league swimming happening outside and in large group settings. What\u2019s not to like about a sport where you beat the heat by being in the water with your peers?<\/p>\n
Also, summer league teams are typically coed. Boys compete against boys and girls against girls. But practices are mixed and teams \u2013 made up of swimmers from all age groups \u2013 vie as a single unit. That makes 5-year-old swimmers just as valuable as 18-year-old swimmers. Is there any other sport that puts boys and girls of all ages on one team and makes them equals?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Matthew Rees and his sister Johanna in 1976. (Photo: Family courtesy)<\/span><\/p>\n While summer league swimming can breed fierce rivalries between teams (and among swimmers on the same team), there\u2019s also a focus on the fun side of the whole experience. Thus the slogan embraced by some teams: \u201cWe swim for good times.\u201d (Michael Phelps, after a particularly enjoyable competition several years ago, said,\u00a0\u201cI felt like a summer league swimmer out there.\u201d)\u00a0<\/p>\n Summer league swimming typically encompasses much more than just practices and meets. With coaches who are often still enrolled in high school or college, they\u2019ll lead their teams through pasta parties, lip-sync performances, field trips, movie nights, rallies\u00a0and delightfully antediluvian activities, like banana-eating relays. Spirit is also prized, which means endless cheering, coupled with affixing team chants \u2013 \u201ceat my bubbles\u201d is a personal favorite \u2013 to cars, shirts\u00a0and various body parts.<\/p>\n COVID vaccines: <\/strong>On COVID-19 vaccine incentives, Mary Poppins was right about that spoonful of sugar<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019ve observed all of this activity in connection with my daughter\u2019s high-energy team, Chesterbrook, in McLean, Virginia. What\u2019s striking is how little has changed since my summer league swimming, for Springbrook Pool in Lafayette, California, ended nearly 40 years ago. Yes, the swimmers are faster and the equipment is a little different (no one wore goggles in my era). But swim practices, swim meets\u00a0and the entire swim team experience have an identical rhythm and feel. I don\u2019t see that changing anytime soon.<\/p>\n I\u2019d bet that kids today will cherish their summer swim team memories. I\u2019d also bet that they, like me, will barely remember the meets or the practices.<\/p>\n My recollections primarily revolve around the groovy coaches with Dickensian names (Peter Cool and Lori Finn), the superstars whose names decorated the team\u2019s record board (Claire Insinger and Curt Schoelkopf), and the hours-long, post-practice leisure time with teammates (Matt Steinhaus and Joey Allen). The pranks were also memorable, such as tricking our coach into taking a bite out of a brown crayon that had been disguised in a Tootsie Roll wrapper.<\/p>\nA summer of good times\u00a0<\/h2>\n