Story and photos by Monty Siekerman
Note: Monty took his camera to a recent Ada swim meet and focused on the activities taking place around the pool's edge.
Swim meets draw a lot of people because there are many team members and their friends and relatives come to watch the action.
• There are about 75 members on a team with 6 age groups competing in four different strokes. Since swim meets occur near suppertime, downing a hotdog from the concession stand is a popular choice for a quick meal before the meet begins, as evidenced by Boston Barker.
• Landon Huber, 7, and Shayor Chowdhury, 6, play with Hot Wheels to while away the time during a home swim meet. Landon is the son of Jake and Kelly Huber. Shayor is the son of Jaki Chowdhury and Tanjina Shahadat.
• Tent City. Many people bring their tents and canopies to a swim meet...a place to call home for a few hours getting out of the hot sun and having a place to snack and relax.
• Quiet Ball (will this be the newest Olympic sport?) is enjoyed by youth of all ages prior to a swim meet. Quiet Ball is played in the classroom during free time at school. At the pool, the game isn’t quite so quiet.
• The concession stand is a popular place during a swim meet. The renovation of the Ada pool during the past year included a new concession stand with an expanded menu. And, it’s paid off in faster service and greater sales. Concessions are reasonably priced so youngsters can afford them. The hot summer and pool improvements have meant the pool is a much busier place this year. The number of passes sold has doubled this year..
