Pirates’ preparation makes big splash

Parents, swimmers work together

By: Jenna Lichtenstein
   The swimmers weren’t the only ones who worked hard to prepare for this past weekend’s Pirate Invitational swim meet at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South.
   The two-day swim meet consisted of boys and girls from 15 different high schools. Including the many spectators, the amount of people in attendance was roughly 500. To put together and run a swim meet of this magnitude took a large amount time and energy that the coaches, swimmers and parents were willing to dedicate to this cause.
   The process began five months prior to the actual meet when WW-P South head coach Paul Hamnett sent out the invitations to about 50 schools. Hamnett wasn’t the only one involved in the planning.
   "The parents do most of the work," Hamnett stated. "They spend countless hours planning this for their kids. I just deal with the swimmers."
   Within these five months of preparation and planning, the Pirate parents get together to organize everything from the scorers and the awards, to the food and the programs.
   "The parents usually get together for meetings about a month in advance," explained Beth Feehan, who coordinated the parent volunteers and the set up of the concession stand.
   Behind the scenes even the smallest details, such as choosing to sell healthy alternatives at the concession stand, are taken into consideration to make sure that the meet ran smoothly. The team noticed the amount of time and dedication the parents put into the meet.
   "Most people don’t realize how much the parents do for the team," acknowledged Katherine Winters, who swam for the Pirates at the girls’ meet on Saturday and finished third in the 100 backstroke. The boys meet was held Sunday, making the Pirate Invitational a weekend-long event. The girls finished fourth as a team and the boys finished fifth.
   The swimmers also contributed to the effort. They not only used their strength in the pool, but also to set up before and clean up after the meet.
   "We got out of practice early the day before the meet so that we could have the several hours needed to set up," said Alison Lichtenstein, a freshman on the South girls’ team.
   From the beginning of the process five months ago until the final event on Sunday, the coaches, swimmers and parents were one team. Collaboratively, they arranged and lead a successful swim meet.
   "Everyone, especially the parents, worked long hours and used a lot of energy to put together this huge meet," Winters said. "I greatly appreciate what was done. It was definitely worth it in the end."