 | | | Swimmers prepare for their race to begin Photos Les Hata
| | | | | | The 36th Annual Bottoms Up swim meet, hosted by Moraga Valley Pool, featured tight races, photo finishes, and a lot of smiles. This event was held Sunday, July 10 at the Soda Center at Campolindo High School, and featured all the teams in the Orinda/Moraga Pool Association (OMPA).
Unlike all swim meets where age group swimmers are placed together every other year, Bottoms Up features only the bottom of each age group swimming against the same.
There were more than 750 swimmers participating this year.
Only 100 points separated first to third place this year. Sleepy Hollow Swim Team came in first with a total of 731 team points, followed by Orinda Country Club, and third place went to Moraga Ranch Swim Team.
Several records were broken and numerous coaches and swimmers exalted as they checked the scoreboard to discover they qualified for the year end County Championships in August.
"The ties for high point winners and the records that were broken made the meet very intense," said MVP Co-Head Coach Trevor Rose. "This just illustrates the competitive level of our league, even though this meet was exclusive to the bottom of each age group."
Lamorinda swimmers competed for top individual honors and their hard work earned them high point honors (see sidebar).
Team events featured age group mixed medley relays; age group mixed freestyle relays, as well as coaches and parents relays.
"The parents relay is always a blast," said Moraga Valley Pool parent Jay Rossiter. "Considering we just sit on the sidelines and watch our kids do it all year long."
The competition was fierce, and every team will do battle again, at the same location, at the OMPA Championships on August 5-7.
5 year old girls-Maren McDonald (Sleepy Hollow)
5 year old boys-William Vranesh (Moraga Ranch)
7 year old girls-Abbie Lee (Campo Cabana Club)
7 year old boys-Will McGaughey (Moraga Ranch)
9 year old girls-Nina Munson (Sleepy Hollow) & Lauren McAninch (Orinda Country Club)
9 year old boys-Mark McCurdy ( Campo Cabana Club)
11 year old girls-Nicole LaCour (Meadow) & Katherine Cane (Meadow)
11 year old boys-Michael Dakis (Orinda Country Club)
13 year old girls-Madison Tagg (Orinda Park Pool)
13 year old boys-Nicky Erickson (Moraga Ranch)
15 year old girls-Allison Stevens (Moraga Country Club)
15 year old boys- Andrew Furtado (Orinda Park Pool)
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA