SWIMMING: Major In-Season Meet Comes To Richmond December 19

Last year, the Hanover High School swim team stepped it up by winning the 4A Conference Champs for both girls and boys.  A significant achievement for a team that had not even won a single meet the previous two seasons.  This year, Hanover High School is once again stepping it up by hosting a statewide invitational swim meet.

On Saturday, December 19^th, Hanover High School swim team will welcome eighteen swim teams to the first Hawk Holiday High School Invitational Swim Meet.  The meet is the first ever of its kind in the Richmond area and will be held at the Collegiate School Aquatic Center, located at SwimRVA, in Chesterfield.  

Eighteen teams from all over the state of Virginia will beattending the championship-style swim meet that provides preliminary action in the morning, with the fastest 16 swimmers in each event returning for finals that night.  Local high school teams committed to the meet include Atlee, Colonial Heights, Goochland, Hanover, Lee-Davis, Maggie Walker, New Kent, Patrick Henry, Benedictine, and St Gertrude.

Teams from as far away as Blacksburg (Blacksburg HS) and Winchester (John Handley HS) are attending.  Additional teams attending including Bishop Sullivan, Bruton, Greenbriar Christian Academy, Hampton Roads Academy, Jamestown, King George, and Western Albemarle.

“This is going to be an outstanding meet," said Hanover Coach George Massey.  “We have all of the area public schools attending, public schools from just about every part of the Commonwealth attending, along with a number of private schools. We have large teams, small teams, and teams from the various classifications. This is an opportunity for swimmers to compete against other high school swim teams that they would otherwise never compete against.”

One of the unique aspects of the Hanover Hawk Holiday Invitational is that it will bring together the Girl’s State Champions from 2A, 3A, and 4A, and the second place team from 5A. Maggie Walker (2A), Western Albemarle (3A), and Jamestown (4A) were state champions while Atlee finished second. “When you bring great teams together, in one of the elite swim pools on the east coast, you are going to experience great competition and fast swimming”, said Coach Massey. “Throw in that there team awards for Best Holiday Dressed and Most Spirited, this should be an outstanding meet for spectators.” 

The idea for the swim meet was the result of conversations Coach Massey had with other area coaches such as Karen Seeber (Atlee), Stuart Bernstein (Lee-Davis) and Bob Flanagan (Patrick Henry). Seeber believes the meet is a great addition to the schedule and high school swimming in the area.  

“For years we have been attending a similar meet, the Kecoughtan Invitational, in January down in Newport News. Now we are bringing similar teams to a championship meet right here in Richmond," Seeber notes. "It is meets like this where we normally get our best times and this gives us one more opportunity to make qualifying times for the Kecoughtan meet.”

The meet is open for the general public. The cost of admission is $10.00 for the morning preliminaries and $5.00 at night. As part of the effort to host this swim invitational, the Hanover High School swim team is looking for financial sponsors and food/drink donations. All funds and donations will go first to support the Hawk Invitational and then to the Hanover High swim teams.  

If you are interested in getting involved with this event please contact either Beth Voelkel at eivoelkel@aol.org or George Massey at 852-8639 / hhswimming1@gmail.com

For more information on this event visit www.hanoverhighswim.com