ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 27, 1995 TAG: 9512270072
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
The Southwest Aquatic Team, better known as SWAT, is gearing up for one of the biggest meets in team history, the third annual New Year's Invitational.
The meet will be held at Virginia Tech's War Memorial Hall pool Jan. 6-7, featuring 600 swimmers, ages 6 to 18, from four states competing in 175 events.
"The meet has grown over the last several years, and the quality of swimming has been getting better every year," said SWAT coach Bill Beecher. "This year, we are going to have teams competing from Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and New Jersey."
Attendance is free to the public.
The invitational serves as a chance for competing swimmers to attempt to post heat times that will qualify them for the YMCA nationals or the Junior Olympics.
"There are a series of times that a swimmer must meet in order to qualify for those meets," Beecher said. "I would expect some of the swimmers competing in the meet to be trying to achieve those marks."
The invitational will feature a format unique to this competition, Beecher said. Swimmers 15 years old and younger will compete only against swimmers of the same age.
"We think this is a better format for the kids," Beecher said. "All the other tournaments we compete in have classes where a 12- and 13-year-old might swim against each other."
The invitational will feature 129 members of SWAT, giving this meet the largest percentage of SWAT members to ever compete in a single tournament.
SWAT is made up of swimmers from Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Galax, Giles, Radford, Pulaski and Wytheville.
The success of the previous invitationals has given SWAT an opportunity to host the state's biggest amateur swim meet in March. SWAT will hold the 1996 Virginia State Junior Olympics at Tech's War Memorial pool and Radford University's Dedmon Center pool.
"In past years the competition has always been held in the Hampton area at Old Dominion," Beecher said. "We were given the chance to host this year's competition because our facilities are better at Tech and Radford. We have warm-up and warm-down areas in these pools, and ODU doesn't."
Last season, SWAT placed 25 percent of its swimmers in the national Junior Olympic meet, ranking the team 16th out of the 100 teams that competed.
Gary Rhinesmith, Blacksburg Sunfish swim team president, said the state Junior Olympics will not only improve the visibility of swimming in the New RIver Valley, but will boost the economy. Based on the number of participants in past years, it is estimated the '96 meet will pump approximately $50,000 into the local economy in meals and lodging.
"Blacksburg is a very attractive place to visitors from larger cities," Rhinesmith said. "They can walk the streets and shop, instead of shopping in larger malls. All in all, this will be good for the area."
If you have an idea for a story or note about recreational sports, call Chad Willis at 381-1672 in Montgomery County or Radford or 1-800-346-1234, extension 672 elsewhere or fax to 381-1656.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON/Staff. Southwest Aquatic Team - SWAT -by CNBmembers do their practice laps to keep in shape for their upcoming
New Year's Invitational at Virginia Tech's War Memorial Hall pool.
color.