BY SPENCER CAMPBELL
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Country Club of Bristol has a lot of parking space. A small enclave of gravel extends past that parking lot. Beyond the gravel, an outcropping of grass runs all the way to the tennis courts.
Still the Club could use some more parking, because it needed it on Thursday.
That’s because close to 250 swimmers crammed the pool at the Country Club of Bristol to compete in the Bristol Area Swim Association’s 2009 Summer League Championship. The participants, ranging anywhere in age from five to 22, came from as far away as Wise, Va., to take part in the event.
“This helps to introduce beginning swimmers to competitive swimming,” BASA supporter and Tennessee High swim coach Chris Estep said. “This gives them the opportunity to compete over the summer. A lot of kids that swim in this move on to the advanced level. They move on to swimming year round.”
Thursday’s swim meet was the culmination of BASA’s summer-long schedule. Tournaments throughout the summer pitted local swim clubs against one another in dual meets.
Eight different teams took part in the competition, including the Country Club of Bristol, Virginia High School, the Bristol YMCA, Abingdon’s Glenrochie and Coomes Recreation Center squads, as well as teams from Glade, Va., Lebanon, Va., and Wise.
The Summer League Championship featured 70 different heats.
Coach of the Country Club of Bristol team, Katherine Curtiss, says that nearly 50 swimmers participate on the Club’s team, providing a fun way for children to get outdoors.
“It’s fabulous for young swimmers,” Curtiss said. “It gets them in the water, you get to see how competitive they are. It’s healthy, especially with TV and video games. They come to swim practice, stay all day and have big smiles on their faces.”
scampbell@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2543
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