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March 18, 2002
Dear Friends:
Between 850 and 900 swimmers entered the pool at the 2002 Short Course Connecticut State Swimming Championships, and an astounding number came out with personal bests, Top 16 times, or Connecticut records. The Finals sessions were riveting; the Prelims filled with one exciting moment after another. From what I observed in my 235,000 trips around the pool deck, the high level of sportsmanship and good fun matched that of the competition. Congratulations to all of our outstanding athletes.
What stands behind all those remarkable swims is quality coaching, and the fine group of professional coaches whose work was on display this weekend deserves a big round of applause. Personally, I have to thank the coaches for their support, understanding, and active involvement in the planning and execution of this meet. Many had kind words, which I gratefully accept on behalf of our many volunteers; many had constructive suggestions for improvements, which are appreciated and will all be considered carefully by the Age Group Committee.
I cannot resist quoting my favorite statistic: I estimate we filled 525 volunteer job assignments over the four days. That is an army of workers, and I would put my Connecticut Swimming army up against any in the world! Each one of our volunteers has sincere thanks on behalf of Connecticut Swimming and me personally, as well as the gratitude of your children (that may take a few years to come out, but believe me, it’s in there!). Our meet started on time, ran very smoothly and most importantly presented our swimmers with the best possible platform on which to do their best: it is all because of you.
Within the volunteer army there were some soldiers who should be specially decorated for valor and bravery. The Officer Corps (our swimming officials) led by the great General Ed Doernberger, distinguished themselves by their knowledge, fairness, wisdom, decorum and energy. The Corps of Engineers (Captains Johnston, Frost, Prue, Dodds, McCurdy, Cooper, LaFrenierre and Kingman) were rock-solid at the computer table, despite floods, waves of invaders, and power failures. The Mess Hall was run flawlessly by the troops from Cheshire Division, and we all know that the most critical element of any swim meet is the coaches’ food! Machinery came from the New Canaan and Wilton depots, and a Logistics squadron from LEHY provided equipment as needed on the battlefield. The supply lines were manned by a crack battalion from New England Saints, who not only sorted and distributed every award, but also had to assemble them (a little detail I had neglected to mention at enlistment time!). Our Marine Corps, Cougar Aquatic Division, landed in the office and fought heroically under heavy bombardment, never giving an inch and successfully defending the copy machine (our most sophisticated automatic weapon). The Purple Heart goes to Linda – hope that cough clears up! And just between us, our top-secret Intelligence Unit, tirelessly led by Majors Fisher and Taft, gathered data and handed over complete, classified files on the entire Zone Team. The Armed Forces Radio Network was the domain of Colonels Loftus, Heyde, Heyde, Koss, Quake and McCarthy, who combined the sophistication of a Bob Costas, the mastery of a Marv Albert, and the enthusiasm of a Dick Vitale in the broadcast booth.
I think only the Cooper family and I have a clear idea of how much Nan Cooper gave of herself before, during and after the meet. To my friend Nan, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
A salute goes to our hosts at Wesleyan University whose set-up and support were terrific, and to our timing system operators Mike DiNapoli and the incomparable Kevin Carneiro. Finally the Joint Chiefs of Staff: the Age Group, Program Development and Technical Planning Committees of Connecticut Swimming and our Time Standards Chairman George Miles, can take credit for a campaign very well designed.
As the end of the meet drew near, many people said to me that I must be relieved it’s almost over. Wrong! I have to admit that other than some tired legs and a desire to see my wife and daughter, I would have happily stayed on Wesleyan’s deck for another four days. So many great kids filled with enthusiasm. So much great sporting competition. So many great friends, old and new. It’s all an inspiration and a source of energy, and all I can say to sum it up is: See you for Long Course!
Warmest regards,
Barry Silver
Meet Director