Freedlander swim meet: It’s action in the water and out
Everyone can relate to the preparation that goes into throwing a party for one’s closest friends and family.
Now multiply that – by a lot.
That, in essence, is what the Freedlander Swim Meet is all about – logistics – and getting the people lined up to make sure things come off without a hitch. That has to be the focus when nearly 800 swimmers, plus their families, roll into Wooster.
The Freedlander Meet will open Friday, July 8, and continue through Sunday evening, showcasing some of the top talent in Ohio in Wooster’s long-course pool. As Larry Smucker, the long-time coach for the Wooster Parks and Recreation swim team knows, an entire season, let alone a meet of this size and caliber, can’t be pulled off without a tremendous amount of work and coordination.
“When one puts on a big event like this, it takes a lot of communicating and I think people can relate to that,” said Smucker. “We have people who volunteer, and Melissa Rooney and Beth Davis do a lot of legwork for me this year. They put in a lot of volunteer time, like getting maps and other information out to our parents, and they help make the season enjoyable. They do a lot of legwork.”
“I do have to report to the pool soon,” joked Davis one early morning. She, along with Rooney, handles much of the communication work for the team. That’s especially the case with parents of new or younger swimmers, who have not gone through a full season or through the three-day Freedlander Meet.
“The range of things we do are broad,” said Davis, whose daughters, Sophia, 12, and Fiona, 10, are in the club. “We’ve done a lot through newsletters, whether hard copy or by also creating a new club-parent account and sharing information that way.
“We don’t do this by ourselves,” she added. “Another parent, Mary Cornelius, made our bulletin board not only more attractive but more user friendly … and we direct our parents to it.”
That board contains a lot of information vital to the team, especially for the meets.
“We have lots of positions on it,” she added. “There are hundreds – from timing and concessions, to posting results and the awards and ribbons. When we talk to the families, we direct them to the board. That’s part of the outreach we’ve done, and that goes for every meet on Wednesdays and Thursdays.”
Rooney, whose son, Eddie, is on the 11-12 boy’s team, created an account for the swim families to help “communicate with daily reminders,” said Davis.
“I send a newsletter via email now instead of printing it out and relying on kids to get papers home,” said Rooney. “It’s a direct line of communication with parents … to stress we really need help with this.
“That’s the bulk of it. If the parents are not involved, it’s not going to happen. We need parents timing or whatever in running the meet. In essence, we’re the host to all these teams coming from all over Ohio, but they come from Indiana, sometimes from Canada and other neighboring states. Without parents, it’s not going to happen and we would have to go out in the community and try to snag people.
“As it is,” she added, “the community is very supportive. There are sponsorships and people donate to the meet. But, the parents are important. They show the kids and the community how important this is. It is key to the success of the meet.”
That tradition and the unique long-course Freedlander Pool are part of what makes it a critical piece of summer outdoor swimming in northeast Ohio.
“It’s pretty special,” said Rooney. “It’s a neat tradition this goes on without a hitch. It’s all about contacts and the connections you make with people that makes something like this be successful. And, we’re fortunate to have such an awesome facility. We swim at other pools and you get spoiled. You think everyone should have what we have. The whole pool transforms into a huge event and it’s fun.”
Davis also noted the meet reaches outside the scope of the swim families, though.
“This meet is about Wooster, not just the swim team,” said Davis. “So many local hotels and restaurants benefit. Maybe not from the traffic, but a great deal of money comes into town. And, the cross-country team at the high school does provide a parking service, which is getting high school kids involved. They provide a big service for us.”
The distance events will be competed Friday, July 8. The 12-u swimmers will compete July 9-10, beginning at 9 a.m., with the 13-and-overs starting at 1 p.m. both days.
Now multiply that – by a lot.
That, in essence, is what the Freedlander Swim Meet is all about – logistics – and getting the people lined up to make sure things come off without a hitch. That has to be the focus when nearly 800 swimmers, plus their families, roll into Wooster.
The Freedlander Meet will open Friday, July 8, and continue through Sunday evening, showcasing some of the top talent in Ohio in Wooster’s long-course pool. As Larry Smucker, the long-time coach for the Wooster Parks and Recreation swim team knows, an entire season, let alone a meet of this size and caliber, can’t be pulled off without a tremendous amount of work and coordination.
“When one puts on a big event like this, it takes a lot of communicating and I think people can relate to that,” said Smucker. “We have people who volunteer, and Melissa Rooney and Beth Davis do a lot of legwork for me this year. They put in a lot of volunteer time, like getting maps and other information out to our parents, and they help make the season enjoyable. They do a lot of legwork.”
“I do have to report to the pool soon,” joked Davis one early morning. She, along with Rooney, handles much of the communication work for the team. That’s especially the case with parents of new or younger swimmers, who have not gone through a full season or through the three-day Freedlander Meet.
“The range of things we do are broad,” said Davis, whose daughters, Sophia, 12, and Fiona, 10, are in the club. “We’ve done a lot through newsletters, whether hard copy or by also creating a new club-parent account and sharing information that way.
“We don’t do this by ourselves,” she added. “Another parent, Mary Cornelius, made our bulletin board not only more attractive but more user friendly … and we direct our parents to it.”
That board contains a lot of information vital to the team, especially for the meets.
“We have lots of positions on it,” she added. “There are hundreds – from timing and concessions, to posting results and the awards and ribbons. When we talk to the families, we direct them to the board. That’s part of the outreach we’ve done, and that goes for every meet on Wednesdays and Thursdays.”
Rooney, whose son, Eddie, is on the 11-12 boy’s team, created an account for the swim families to help “communicate with daily reminders,” said Davis.
“I send a newsletter via email now instead of printing it out and relying on kids to get papers home,” said Rooney. “It’s a direct line of communication with parents … to stress we really need help with this.
“That’s the bulk of it. If the parents are not involved, it’s not going to happen. We need parents timing or whatever in running the meet. In essence, we’re the host to all these teams coming from all over Ohio, but they come from Indiana, sometimes from Canada and other neighboring states. Without parents, it’s not going to happen and we would have to go out in the community and try to snag people.
“As it is,” she added, “the community is very supportive. There are sponsorships and people donate to the meet. But, the parents are important. They show the kids and the community how important this is. It is key to the success of the meet.”
That tradition and the unique long-course Freedlander Pool are part of what makes it a critical piece of summer outdoor swimming in northeast Ohio.
“It’s pretty special,” said Rooney. “It’s a neat tradition this goes on without a hitch. It’s all about contacts and the connections you make with people that makes something like this be successful. And, we’re fortunate to have such an awesome facility. We swim at other pools and you get spoiled. You think everyone should have what we have. The whole pool transforms into a huge event and it’s fun.”
Davis also noted the meet reaches outside the scope of the swim families, though.
“This meet is about Wooster, not just the swim team,” said Davis. “So many local hotels and restaurants benefit. Maybe not from the traffic, but a great deal of money comes into town. And, the cross-country team at the high school does provide a parking service, which is getting high school kids involved. They provide a big service for us.”
The distance events will be competed Friday, July 8. The 12-u swimmers will compete July 9-10, beginning at 9 a.m., with the 13-and-overs starting at 1 p.m. both days.
Published: July 7, 2011
