Oct. 14 marked the very first Colorado Athletics Recreation Association (CARA) sponsored recreational league swim meet held at the Northglenn Recreation Center Pool.The venue was bursting at the seams with young swimmers, coaches, friends and families at the crack of dawn.Teams from the recreation centers in Aurora, Englewood and Foothills packed the gym. An estimated 350 people lined the indoor pool, eager to watch the races.
"In all, there were a total of 223 swimmers competing," said
Jennifer Kalisch, aquatics and fitness coordinator for the city of Northglenn.
Kalisch, the aquatics staff and Northglenn Snapper coaches had been meticulously planning for this big event.
"Being our very first swim meet and not knowing exactly what to expect, I think this meet was a tremendous success!A lot of planning went into it, as well as a lot of hard work between our parent volunteers, staff members, and swimmers.Everything went very smoothly.I am extremely pleased with how well everything came together and the overall outcome of the event," said Kalisch.
Many participants and spectators also commented on how well the event went.Some parents initially had expressed early concerns.The size of the pool was a major issue. But the Aquatics staff came up with a workable solution; the swim teams stayed in the gym until their heat was called. Then each group was escorted to the pool.
Contributing to the success of having a big meet in a small space was the generous outpouring of volunteer help. Between Snapper parents and a contingent of members from the community, 60 people took on a variety of roles. Timing, running, calling, selling concessions and many, many more jobs were all handled by the volunteers.This also created a special challenge since none of the volunteers had ever worked a swim meet before.Visiting team coaches were willing to lend their experience and suggestions.
Hosting larger scale competitions and events has been a recent opportunity for the city of Northglenn. The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department has been developing similar events in other areas, such as the 3x3 soccer tournaments at the Northwest Open Space and the upcoming annual Co-ed Dodgeball Tournament in the recreation center gym on October 28. Staff hopes that gatherings such as these will continue to bring more visitors to the community.
"I'm looking forward to hosting our next meet," remarked Kalisch, which will be on Sunday, January 28. The Snappers' next competition will be at the Foothills Recreation Center in Littleton on Nov. 12.