The Chattanooga Area Swim League features a summer schedule where teams face off against each other in six age groups and two relays. It’s all but imperative for teams to have roster full of kids to be successful where there’s someone to fill every spot in every event in every age group.
The Fairyland Flash has been really successful in recent years with teams featuring well over 100 youngsters, but that’s just not the case this summer. Their pool is being redone, so there has been no swimming there and they will not be able to host a meet at home.
They have been practicing so far at the South Chattanooga Recreation Center, but that hasn’t been a popular replacement, so team numbers are way down with just over 50 kids on the team.
The Flash had their first meet at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club Monday and that lack of numbers was glaring as the Wavemakers remained unbeaten with a lopsided victory where the final score was 467-280.
The Flash have some really talented individuals who can score a lot of points, but it’s impossible to score when there aren’t kids entered.
Stan Corcoran is the Country Club coach who has been the head coach at McCallie for a long time. Caroline Bentley is the head coach for Fairyland, but also works at McCallie, so Corcoran knows more about the situation than anyone.
“Fairyland has been a really good team in the past with well over 100 kids, but they’re a little short-handed this summer and that really makes me sad,” Corcoran said while the freestyle relays were being contested near the end of Monday’s meet.
“We moved some kids around and put them in positions they normally are not in, so that was good for us being able to give some kids experience they normally would not have gotten. I feel like we swam better as a team from our first meet as we made far fewer mistakes and had a lot less disqualifications.
“And we have some kids who were new last year who could barely swim that are scoring big points for us today and that really makes me happy, but we have a big meet in Cleveland on Thursday against the Waterdogs, so we’ll wait and see how that goes,” Corcoran smiled.
Bentley has been coaching at Fairyland for 17 years or so and she’s never faced the situation she’s currently facing. It makes her job a whole lot harder when she has to encourage her kids in meets when they know they won’t win because of the lack of numbers.
“We need more kids more than ever, but people just aren’t excited about driving off the mountain every day to practice,” she said while the meet was still going.
“We’re small, but mighty. We just need to keep working to improve on the things we have control over and not worry about the rest. I felt like we swam great today in our first meet. We still have some technical stuff to work on, but we’re having a lot of fun and that’s the main goal for us all,” she smiled.
Monna Yu, Evie Ranalli and Caroline Hatfield all maxed out with 19 points for the victorious Wavemakers while James Bentley and Dru Grant IV were next with 17 points apiece.
Luke Mixon, Margaret Stinnett and Gracie Manning all tallied 16 while Nicholas Johnson, Cooper Webb, Sloane Graham and Cate Bowman all followed with 15 points apiece.
Frances Bohner was tops for Fairyland with 19 points while Adelaide Bond had 17 and Maxwell Ball 15.
Fairyland will face the Ridgeside Dolphins in their next meet on Thursday while the Wavemakers will be on the road to face the Waterdogs.
MONDAY'S HIGH-POINT SCORERS:
FAIRYLAND:
19 -- Frances Bohner
17 -- Adelaide Bond
15 -- Maxwell Ball
13 -- Ben Bevill
12 -- Ethan Bond, Carson Gaither, Lily Cole, Millie Sharplin.
COUNTRY CLUB:
19 -- Monna Yu, Evie Ranalli, Caroline Hatfield
17 -- James Bentley, Dru Grant IV
16 -- Luke Mixon, Margaret Stinnett, Gracie Manning
15 -- Nicholas Johnson, Cooper Webb, Sloane Graham, Cate Bowman
13 -- Zoe Feher, Marvin Johnson, Wade Hampton Robinson
12 -- Hampton Tate, Chamberlain Johnson, Zeki House
11 -- Cooper Brooks
10 -- Caden Wells, Eleanor Kates, Carter Williams.
STUART HEIGHTS:
19 -- Sage Sillery, Scout Chapin, Stephen Myers
17 – Lily Vicknair, Ava Shaw, Nolan Taylor, Max Shaw
15 – Margaret Daniel, Hayden Vicknair, Felix Vicknair, Gilly Smith, Ava Gipson
14 – Maddie Orth
13 – Ridge Folmar
12 – Maliya Benford, Cade Kesler
10 – Molly Mae Ransom, Addie Cannon, Joseph Myers, Madison Rogers, Will White.
FORT OGLETHORPE:
19 – Sully Foster, Foster Stevens
17 – Katelyn Holman
15 – Addison Rievley, Yaric Lebed
14 – Allie O’Donnell, Wade Christopher
13 – Asher Johnson
12 – Ari Motter
11 – Trey San Pedro, Aubree McCarthy
10 – Zeke Rawls, Colson Chappelear.
CLEVELAND:
19 – Jaxon Moseley
18 – Elias Eldred
16 – Kevin Curley
14 – Abigail Parrish, Stevie Rose McDaniel
13 – Addie Taubert, Santiago Eldred, Teddy Elliott
12 – Ben Condo
11 – Reed Blackman
10 – Ian Bryant.
BIG RIDGE:
19 – Quinn Young, Lander Smith
17 – Kate White, Jade Skiba, Gracin Smith, Noah Keener
15 – Millie Watson
14 – Haley Clark, Eli Haupert
13.5 – Sofia Mansueto
13 – Madison Skiba, Sarah Noles, Ian Haydon
12 – Benson Wright, Blakely Martin
11 – Ashton Conibear
10 – Hudson Ross.
RED BANK:
19 – Audrey Mayo, Noah Blake, Addilyn Mayo, Jem Robertson, James Atchley
18 – Allie West
17 – Maggie Rust, Lilah Blanchard, Benton Bilbrey, Caleb Ross
15 – Maddie Grass, Avalie Bilbrey, Luke Blake, Arya Clinebell
14 – Gage Thomas, Caleb Grass, Ben Meagher, Natalie Emerson
13 – Cohen Lowe, Adalia Ross
12 – Adli Bowlin
10 – Reid Corder, Dexter Miller.
CUMBERLAND:
18 – Zach Schurr
17 – Lydia Mizutani
14 –Kymiri Turner, Carter Young
12 – Lola Phipps
10 – James Chatard.
RIDGESIDE:
19 – Cora Hamilton, Caroline Carpenter, Charlie Schrader
17 – Lizzie Jane Kinnamon, Ryan Carpenter
15 – Jacob Stone, Owen Swisher, Weston Hamilton
13 – Jaime Manning, Jude Wilder
12 – Holly Beale, Anton Pruenster
11 – Eli McBryar, Hadley Goodlet
10 – Dani McGinley, Finley Smith, Elizabeth Grace Schrader.
WATERDOGS:
19 – Gracelyn Dauphinais, Christian Chai
17 – Alice Torchick, Carter Gray, Davis Turner, Jack Cuiston
16 – Marit Chapman, Noah Torchick
15 – Alethea Allen, Asher Williams
14 – Brooklyn Shumway, Ella Cuison
12 – Caden Leano, Alaina Chapman, Laura Ward
10 – Marquette Shumway.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)
