Don't Blink: Memories of a Gator. . .Dad (Volume 1)

In 1999, I would not have believed you.  If you had told me back then that the Bolger family would dedicate every June and July to the Mount Vernon Park Gators, and that we would have loved nearly every minute of it, I would have thought you were crazy.

But, here we are three swimmers, 16 seasons, 75 A meets, countless B meets, IM Invitationals later.  I've done set-up, take-down, timing, marshaling, relay take-off, stroke and turn judging, starter, refereeing, and even team rep.  Carol has done much of that, as well as running concessions for many years.  Gator swim was the one constant in our lives.

And, you know what?  We knew nothing about swim when it all started.  Nothing. A neighbor said practice was like free lessons.  We wanted to girls to be able to swim at birthday parties, so we signed Julia up at age six.  She cried the first month of practice.  To us as uninitiated parents, we argued whether B meets are the fourth or fifth circle in Dante's Inferno.  Either way, we agreed, they were hell.  Sometimes I wasn't even sure which young Gator in a cap, goggles, and a green suit was my daughter.  I found out that, at age six, Julia wasn't the only cutie on the team -- there were multitudes of them!  I will get back to this part of it later.

The girls were Gators far longer than they were on any other sports team.  Longer than travel softball, high school swim, club swim, Ft. Hunt softball, soccer, taekwondo, high school softball.   Or any organization.  Longer than Girl Scouts, orchestra (and those early concerts seemed to last forever!), student government, etc. , .  Maddy and Torie both started when they were five.  All three made A meets at age seven.  This is our 15th season of A meets.

Name another sport where you have such continuity with the same team.  You can't.  A second place from a seven year old matters just as much to the team as a second place from an 18 year old.  And, we've been lucky enough that my daughters have swum A meets at every age.  Individual events are great, but the relays are even more exciting and more fun.

I coached many seasons of softball, and even co-coached a Northern Virginia championship team, but, as rewarding as that was, it is no match for the memories I have from our involvement with Gator swim.

Not only have we been lucky enough to be involved with the best pool in Northern Virginia, but in the best swim league in the country, the NVSL (the Northern Virginia Swimming League).  There are an estimated 15,000 kids on 102 teams in the league, making it likely the largest sports league in the country.  The leadership of the is dedicated, and the structure is consistent.

I get it -- not everyone makes A meets, and not everyone loves swim.  If that's the case, as long as your kids are better swimmers by the end of the season then they were at the beginning, then they came out ahead.   And, if they made some good friends on the team during it, so much the better.

The rhythms of summer swim are the same each season, even though the outcomes can vary.  As practice starts in late May/early June, the water is often too cold.  the season gets underway with Time Trials and the Waynewood Meet, and that's a nice way to ease back into it.  Then, the first few A meets (and B meets on Monday), with the pace increasing.  And then into high gear, with Relay Carnival, All-Star Relays, and the IM Invitational sandwiched around more A and B meets.

Finally, Senior Day, then Divisionals, the end of season banquet/awards/party, and, if things go well, individual All-Stars.  This year is more problematic for us, as Torie's fractured hand from softball has created uncertainty about A meets and relays where there never has been before.  But, she's coaching and hanging out with the other teens on the team, and the fun she is having is what is more important.

What we treasure most about Gator swim, however, is the friendships we've built through the years.  There is nothing better than the time we spend with other committed Gator parents, whether it is talking about the last meet, enjoy an adult beverage after take-down, getting together socially, or running into friends whose kids are long gone from the team and catching up with them.  MVP swim team has been a large part of our social fabric over the years.  Making new friends as people realize that this is an organization they want to get more involved with also makes the summer special.

As you can tell, this is a love note to MVP Gator swim from someone who was lucky enough to be involved at all levels -- from clueless parent to tentative volunteer, to committed volunteer, Stat Boy, and 13 years of blogging.  Some of the parents of 8 & unders were not even married 13 years ago (much less 16!), so that should tell you how long the Bolger family has been at it.

I'm not saying swimming is the best sport, or that the MVP Gators are the best team and community (well, actually. . .), or that the NVSL is the best league (well, actually. . .).  But, for 16 magical summers, it has all been the best for me and my  family.

And, I'm not done. . .I've got a few more of these to write in the coming weeks.  I hope you'll indulge me as our time with the team winds down.  There are so many countless memories to share that hopefully, after your time with the Gators is done, you can look back and remember some as fondly as we do.