There’s a new blogger in town

For many years you have been blessed with an epic blogger, writing on behalf of Mount Vernon Park and the Gators – Glen Bolger.  I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that Glen wrote the Mount Vernon Park swim team blog for 13 of the 16 years he and Carol were a part of the swim program.  Glen can write blogs in his sleep.  He writes wonderful travel blogs, was a blogger for the West Potomac high school softball team, and probably has a host of other blogs that I’m not even aware of.  The Bolgers have been an institution here at Mount Vernon Park, but their youngest daughter, Torie, graduated from West Potomac last year and they have coasted into swim team retirement.  Which leaves you with me as the new MVP swim team blogger, and I realize I have big flip-flops to fill.  I have never written a blog before, but Tonda and Jim Phalen have been exposed to some of my Facebook musings and saw some potential. Only time will tell if I live up to their confidence in me.

Photo added to blog by Team Rep Tonda, 
as she is well aware of the late night
classic rock musings of fellow insomniac, 
Shaun, thus this fitting "Welcome." 
To enjoy the tunes while reading this blog, click here. 

Right now a number of you may be asking yourself, who is Shaun McNamara?  My 14 year old son, Brian, has been a Gator for a number of years now.  He started back in 2007 and is on the cusp of his 10th season, currently swimming for the 13/14 boys.  Hard to believe!  Our 16 year old daughter, Katelyn, tried it for a couple years but decided she was more of a land creature and now spends her MVP days over on the tennis courts or helping out at the Snack Shack.

A quick story about how we joined Mount Vernon Park.  When my wife, Carrie, and I bought our house in 2001 in Collingwood, it came with a membership to Waynewood Pool.  New to this part of Northern Virginia, we were very thankful and went there for a few years.  But at some point, we started coming over to Mount Vernon Park through some kind invitations from friends and fell in love with the place.  One afternoon, we were attending a friend’s BBQ and I was gazing out at the pond with adult beverage in hand and I turned to Carrie and asked why we belonged to Waynewood and not Mount Vernon Park?  She had pondered the same thing and the next swim season we were at MVP and have never looked back.

Mount Vernon Park is a little oasis in the Northern Virginia area.  And I am certain that anyone that visits the park quickly realizes how special it is.  It’s not just a swim club, it’s a summer experience.  And beyond the lazy days and nights we enjoy at the park, no summer experience is as special to the McNamaras as being a part of the Gators swim team.  Behind the leadership of the Phalens (and the Team Reps before them, including the Bolgers), Coach Paul Makin, as well as the countless coaches, volunteers, and supporters of gator nation, we have been so fortunate to be a part of a program that has flourished over the years.  And let’s not forget the swimmers!  We have amazingly talented swimmers at all age levels that make it so much fun to be a part of.  Our team is exceptionally competitive, as our recent move from Division 3 to Division 2 highlights.  But more importantly, there is a dynamic, energetic, and fun community in the swim program at Mount Vernon Park.  When I receive the annual member letter and request for dues in the beginning of March, I get excited realizing that the weather is warming, the days are getting longer, and soon we will all be back at MVP cheering on our mighty Gators.

I have a lot to learn about swimming, blogging, and the inside scoop on Gator meets and results, and I’m excited to start.  But before I do, I am looking forward to getting together with Glen over dinner soon so that he can impart some of his blogging wisdom on a novice like me.  Likewise, I look forward to the 2016 swim season and sharing gator news/updates with you.  Let’s see how this goes!