Gators Ready to Take on Division 3!

Both of my teenagers are clearly suffering from a major case of “end-of-school-year-itis”, which is a solid indicator that we are approaching the most wonderful time of the year, the Mount Vernon Park Gator’s summer swim season!  You can feel the intensity of work and school slowly giving way to the promise of amazing summer days and nights at the greatest swim club in the entire area – Mount Vernon Park.

Welcome back Gators, Gator parents, and all of our other amazing Gator supporters!  The 2017 season is off to a great start under the new leadership of Team Reps Jamey Piland and Rose Pascarell.  We were so fortunate to have Jim and Tonda Phalen at the helm for the last few seasons, and thankfully they aren’t going anywhere, as they have two Gator daughters (who are also great Gator leaders I might add).  Jamey and Rose have been working since last summer to gear up for this season and it promises to be a great one.  Coach Paul Makin is back for his 12th season and he has great confidence in our wide range of strong swimmers in every category this year.  And we are excited that Laurel Greszler is back as the Assistant Coach this year.

Last season the Gators competed in the extremely competitive 2^nd division of NVSL, against the likes of powerhouses such as Hamlet and Hunt Valley.  While we performed well, given the strong clubs in this elite division, we ended up in 5^th place and will be competing in Division 3 this season against clubs Dunn Loring, Dowden Terrace, Vienna Aquatics, Lakevale Estates, and Langley.  One amazing accomplishment to highlight from last season -- we received the Division 2 Sportsmanship Award; an honor we at Mount Vernon Park take great pride in because at the end of the day, it isn't the wins and losses that truly matter, but how well we treat the clubs we compete against each year (and how much fun we have!).

Before I give a quick rundown on the season and our competitors, I noted an interesting fact as I reviewed the last several NVSL season standings and where we and our competition has been and here is what I learned – in the recent past (since the 2011 season) we have only competed against two of the five teams in our 2017 division, Dunn Loring (in 2015 and 2012) and Vienna Aquatics (in 2011). But during the 2010 season, we had three teams in our division – Dowden Terrace, Lakevale Estates, and Langley.  That was Division 5 and we ended up winning the division that year.  Hopeful that is a good sign for 2017!

June 24^th Dunn Loring at MVP

It all starts at Mount Vernon Park on Saturday, June 24^th.  The Dunn Loring Dolphins hit the beltway from their home in Vienna to compete against us at MVP.  The Dolphins won Division 4 last season, and since 2010 they have spent most of their seasons competing in Division 4, with the exception of 2015 when they were swimming in Division 3, a year when the Gators were also swimming in that division.  That year the Gators finished 2^nd (at 4-1) and the Dolphins 5^th (at 1-4).

July 1^st at Dowden Terrace

Our mighty Gators hit the road for our first away meet of the season against the Dowden Terrace Dolphins.  With three of our five competitors being Dolphins, we will get our fair share of these fun loving aquatic mammals this season.  The Dowden Terrace swim club is also in Alexandria, on the other side of I-395. These Dolphins won Division 6 last year and they win the honor of most improved club in our division this year, having catapulted themselves from Division 6 to 3 in one season.  Dowden Terrace spent 2013 and 2014 in Division 8, so it is clear that this club has made great strides in the last several seasons.  The last year that the Gators squared off against these Dolphins was in Division 5 in 2010.

July 8^th Vienna Aquatics at MVP

We are back home on July 8^th against the Vienna Aquatics Gators.  After the 4^th of July holiday this club from Vienna (I didn’t even need to look this one up) will be at MVP for what is sure to be a great meet.  This Gator club has an impressive NVSL history, including swimming mostly in Division 1 and 2 over the last seven seasons.  They finished in 4^th place last year in Division 3, but were in Division 2 during 2014 and 2015, and even in the top Division in 2013.  The last time our Gators took on these Gators was in Division 3 in 2011. Let’s see if the MVP Gators can own the swamp on July 8^th!

July 15^th Lakevale Estates at MVP

Our very special and emotional tribute to Gator seniors happens on Saturday, July 15^th at our home meet against the Lakevale Estates Dolphins.  Yes, our 3^rd and final Dolphin match-up of the season!  This Dolphins club also calls Vienna home and they were the winners of Division 5 last season.  They’ve spent three seasons over the last seven in Division 2, having made the rise from Division 5 in 2010 to Division 2 three years later in 2013.  The last time we competed against this club my son, Brian, was swimming in the 8 and unders age bracket.  Now he’s in the oldest category (15-18) and is a swim coach and lifeguard.  The years are flying by, but I digress into my own memories….

July 22^nd at Langley

If you ever wondered where the Wildthings are, wonder no longer; they are in McLean and swim for Langley swim club and we will be headed there for our final A meet of the season.  Let’s face it, you were getting a little bored of the Dolphin theme in Division 3 this season, so there is no doubt this meet will feature the most mysterious of all Division 3 mascots.  And like Lakevale Estates, the MVP Gators haven’t competed against Langley since the fabled 2010 season when so many of our current Division clubs were chasing the wall together.  The Wildthings have resided mostly in Division 4 over the last seven seasons, but they were in Division 3 last season and finished in third place with a record of 3-2.

B Meets

A meets are part of the story, but not the entire story when it comes to the Gator swim team experience.  B meets are a Monday night tradition that is a lot of fun, and allows Gators young and old a chance to lower personal best times, get some additional meet experience, and make it to upcoming A meets.  This year, our first B meet is on June 19^th at Waynewood (Division 8).  Next, we travel down the road to Hollin Hills (Division 15) on June 26^th.  Our first home B meet is on July 10^th against Mansion House (Division 10).  Our final B meet is also at MVP when we host Riverside Gardens (Division 8) on July 17^th. 

Other Big Meets

As far as the big annual meets for 2017 - the Divisional Meets will include the Relay Carnival at Dunn Loring on July 12^th and Divisional Championships at Vienna Aquatics on July 29^th.  The All-Star Relay Carnival will be at Greenbriar on July 19^th and Individual All-Stars will be at Sully Station on August 5^th.

So there you have it, the 2017 Gator swim season at a glance.  The next couple months will be busy for our Gators, coaches, and volunteers, but this is the time many of us look forward to all year long.  Mount Vernon Park is coming alive and we are all ready to make this a season to remember!  See you all at Time Trials on Saturday, June 17^th!