In politics, sports, and everything else on TV, the Talking Heads constantly make predictions and say lots of stuff, but never get held accountable for when they are wrong. Well, not here at the Gator Blog! For the first post of the year, I'm going to address the seeding prediction from the end of last year and be held accountable! You can review that post here.
If you don't want to go back and read it (though you should), the summary was that while the general rule of thumb was that teams with 3-2 or 2-3 records tend to stay put in the same division the following year, there was very likely to be a 3-2 team moved up to Division 2 this year, and that there was a very good chance that would be our own Gators of MVP. A pretty bold prediction.
So, what ended up happening at the final seeding meeting back in February? Not only one, but TWO of the 3-2 teams were moved up from Div 3 to Div 2. Both Dowden Terrace and Vienna Aquatic, who were part of the three way tie with the Gators, were moved up. The Gators, however, remained in Division 3 for the 2018 season. So, while I got the concept right, the individual teams chosen to move up were different. What does that mean? Another fun year at Division 3 for us.
Interestingly, we are the only team from 2017 returning to Division 3 as three teams moved up (in addition to the two mentioned above, Langley moved to Division 1) and two teams moved down with Lakevale Estates going to Div 4 and Dunn Loring dropping to Div 5.
The newly formed 2018 version of Division 3 will be comprised of six teams: Donaldson Run, Hunt Valley, Lee-Graham, Hunter Mill, High Point Pool, and MVP. If this combination of teams seems pretty familiar to many of you, it should. Four teams in this group were all together in Division 2 back in 2016: MVP, Hunt Valley, Hunter Mill, and Donaldson Run. And unlike last year when three of our five opponents were Dolphins, this year every team has its own unique mascot. Whew. Thank goodness. Variety is the spice of life.
2018 Division 3 Team Outlook
June 23rd vs High Point Pool Hippos
The Hippos weren't with us in Division 2 in 2016. As a matter of fact, we haven't swam again the Hippos since I've been at MVP. They have steadily moved up the NVSL table in the past few years jumping all the way from Division 5 last year up to Division 3 now. While admittedly not doing my best research in trying to get this post out, I'm not sure if we've ever swam against them. But the gist is- they're Hippos. How fast can a Hippo really swim anyway? And I'm not sure why this meet makes me think of Disney's Fantasia, but it does. Go Gators!
June 30th at Lee-Graham Dolphins
The Dolphins are the other of the two teams who weren't together with us back in 2016. They were in Division 3 that year, dropped to Div 4 in 2017 and now return to Division 3 again. Our previous matchups have always been fun, competitive and quite spirited meets. (And they have a great clubhouse and deck overlooking the pool.) Thankfully, these are the only Dolphins we will be facing this year. Three times last year was just dolphin overkill. Go Gators!
July 7th vs Hunt Valley Stingrays
The rest of our opponents from here down were with us in Division 2 back in 2016. The Stingrays were 4-1 that year, finishing as runners-up to the Green Feet of Hamlet (and took home the trophy from Divisional Relays that year). Last year they were 1-4 in a very tough Division 2. We'll have the "home pool" advantage this year, and my research indicates that Stingrays often have trouble when trying to swim in The Swamp. I'm feeling confident. Go Gators!
July 14th vs Hunter Mill Sharks
The Sharks are also dropping down from Division 2 last year. Back in 2016, we travelled out to Hunter Mill, and word from our Gators was that the pool was exceptionally cold, which was just enough to keep our Gators from swimming their fastest. The meet results literally came down to the final relays and we lost that meet in a true barn burner, 211-209. (Disclaimer: While Hunter Mill does actually have a barn as their clubhouse, we didn't actually burn it down... that's just a figure of speech.) This year they're coming to the Swamp, and no "cold water" tricks are going to slow us down this time. Go Gators!
July 21st at Donaldson Run Thunderbolts
Donaldson Run is another very familiar opponent who we've competed against quite a bit over the years. Last year they were the undefeated champions in Division 4. They have a very viewer-friendly set-up at the pool with lots of spectator space and have been the host for Divisionals in the past (but not this year, as Divisionals will be at Hunt Valley). The Thunderbolts ended up being our lone victory back in 2016 (with a final score of 239-181). Hopefully they end up being our final victory in 2018 as we look to finish with a BANG! (Thunderbolts... get it?) Go Gators!
All in all, its shaping up to be another fun and exciting swim season in the NVSL. Division 3 is really going to be a barn burner this year! (Don't worry Hunter Mill, your clubhouse is safe.) The full schedule for Division 3 is available on the NVSL website here: https://www.mynvsl.com/schedules?year=2018&div=3 Go Gators, let's win Division 3!
Be sure to check back over the weekend for more updates on the blog. I'm going to try to catch up with a couple posts for Time Trials and the Waynewood B Meet (both of which are overdue, I know) and results from our first meet against High Point Pool (which is tomorrow!).
Welcome to 2018. Go Gators!
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