|
"We're
victims of our own success", summarized a jubilant (and tired) Kenny
Brisbin, as our SPMA SCM 2009 Championships--also known as the "Belmont
Meet"--neared its conclusion on Sunday, Dec. 6, after three very successful days
of competition.
The Belmont Meet attracted a record 650 swimmers
from all different levels and age groups, not only from California, but
from places as far as Texas and Hawaii, not to mention our faithful and
ever-growing Canadian contingent.
Besides being possibly the
largest regional championship ever in U.S. Masters Swimming history,
the 2009 Belmont Meet lived up to its reputation of being a very fast
competition. By mid-afternoon on Sunday, over 50 world and national
records had been broken by swimmers at the SPMA Championship Meet,
according to Grunion coach Tom Boyd.
Several times during the
meet, the excitement at the pool was palpable, as Boyd, who was also
our official meet announcer, pumped up 600+ athletes and spectators to
root for fast swimmers as they shattered world records, in some cases
by a large margin. 
A Big Success
"The
meet has been so successful in previous years, that we keep attracting
more and more swimmers from all over the country, despite the economic
crisis", Kenny Brisbin said. Despite running a little long on Friday
and a bit behind schedule overall, Brisbin said the feedback from
coaches and swimmers had been overwhelmingly positive.
Volunteer
coordinator Yuji Utsumi shared Brisbin's enthusiasm. For him, the
success of the meet owed a lot to the dedication of our many
volunteers. Utsumi estimated that at least 25 non-Grunion volunteers
(not to mention dozens of Grunions) worked at the Belmont Meet this
weekend, making it our largest meet ever in that regard as well.
"Sometimes
our volunteers don't even realize how much of an impact they're
having", Utsumi said. "The whole Long Beach community is represented
here, not only the gay and lesbian community, and it also reflects
wonderfully on the image of the city", he added.
Grunion team
captain Mike Miranda agreed. "Many of those 600+ swimmers stay in Long
Beach for a few days, so it also helps the city and the local economy",
he said. Miranda hopes the city will be more pro-active in upcoming
years in their support of the Grunions and the Belmont Meet. 
Great Way to Wrap Up
Miranda
believes the Belmont Meet is a "fantastic way to end a great year for
the Grunions". At the pool yesterday, he was particularly impressed
with how much Grunion Pride the event instills in our team members.
"It's
wonderful to see all those Grunions who are not so active with the team
anymore come back to help us with the meet. They do that because they
feel proud of the team and still connected to it", Miranda said.
So,
after so many world records shattered and a record number of swimmers
and volunteers involved, where does the Belmont Meet go from here?
"We'll
tweak it and make it even better next time", said team captain Miranda.
"This year we used Club Assistant to run the meet and that made us even
more efficient. Maybe next year we'll tweak something else, and make
the meet even better!" (Check the galleries for more pictures, and the other Belmont story for results, links and other information).
|
