NAPA — Wet weather is a source of concern for many sports, but swimming isn”t one of them.
While more than two inches of rain fell in the Napa Valley last weekend, that hardly stopped the Lake County Channel Cats swim team during a winter season meet.
“The wet weather didn”t slow the swimmers down,” Channel Cats head coach Agustin Merodio said.
Both Matteo Merodio and Chelo Lundquist-Krag had “A” times while five other Channel Cats earned “B” times.
“We even had one of our youngest swimmers, Roberto Chavez, compete in his first ever swim meet,” Merodio said. “Chavez was able to establish times in the 25-yard backstroke and the 50-yard freestyle events.”
According to Merodio, “Matteo was the second-fastest 15-year-old in the 50 freestyle. Given that some of the best swimmers in Northern California participated in this meet, this was a great accomplishment.”
Channel Cats Sarah Merodio, Allison Hanson and Charlie Adams were mere seconds away from achieving “A” times in various events. Anais Fay and Lauren Rudnick also competed for the Channel Cats, with Fay earning her first “B” time in the 100 individual medley.
According to team president Jennifer Hanson, “The most heart-warming aspect of every meet for me is watching our swimmers cheer for their fellow teammates. Almost the entire team will line up at the end of the lane and cheer for the swimmer in the event. Few other teams show this kind of support for the swimmer in the water. It is what I love about swimming — the team camaraderie.”
Added Hanson, “Our oldest swimmers will take the youngest under their wings and show them the ins and outs of competitive swimming. When an individual swimmer has a triumphant moment, the rest of the team shares in their glory. There is definitely no ?I” in this team — it is an all-for-one-and-one-for-all mentality.”
Next up for the Channel Cats is a meet in March at Vallejo. To join the Lake County Channel Cats, call Hanson at 263-3131 for more information.
