Sportsmen's Relays and other Annual Swimming Traditions

There are certain meets and activities that we participate in every year outside of the normal meet schedule. These are sort of the "one-offs" on the calendar which are not normal NVSL or B meet functions.

For the MVP Gators, those meets are:

The Fort Hunt Sportsmen's Relays - held this past Wednesday at Riverside Gardens pool, and the general subject of this blog (eventually).
The IM Invitational - A regional meet of all Individual Medley races for teams in the greater Ft Hunt, Kingstowne, and Springfield areas. To be held on July 23rd.
The Gator Romp in the Swamp - An internal meet for 12 and under Gators, run by the 13 and over Gators. To be held on July 25th.

We'll discuss the latter two meets when we come around to them in July. But for now, a little more detail on the Fort Hunt Sportsmen's Relays. This is an annual event hosted by the Fort Hunt Sportsmen's Association. It is comprised of a number of "non-standard" relay events and the purpose is fun, camaraderie,  and sportsmanship.

The swimmer selection for this event is limited, and doesn't necessarily go by the standard selection criteria for other meets (i.e. the swim ladder). Instead, there are various other criteria that the coaches use to place swimmers in this one, such as:

Professional patty-cake abilities. 

Synchronized goggle adjustments. 

The ability to assemble as human Matryoshka dolls.

Advanced arm levitation. 

And of course, the ability to FLY. 

Okay, I admit, none of that is actually true, though the ability to fly never hurts. The Sportsmen's Relays do have an eclectic assortment of race formats in this event: mixed ages(such as 6 and under with 13 and overs), mixed gender, siblings, coaches, and more. There is no team competition as each race is its own event. Ultimately, it is a fun night of racing at the pool. 

The results of this year's Fort Hunt Sportsmen's relays, as well as all of our other meets, are available on the "Meet Information" page of the Gator Website here. (or at least will be available soon)

Pictures will be posted here.