Fairview captures JSL crown

Amidst all of the fanfare, team pride, tie-dyed t-shirts and passionate emotion, Fairview Swim Club emerged as the overall champion of the 2009 Jefferson Swim League Championships at the University of Virginia Aquatics and Fitness Center, which concluded on Saturday evening.
Hoisting the trophy is nothing new for Fairview, which was crowned JSL champion for the 19th straight year. Legendary coach J.J. Bean, who has coached the team since 1981, explained that there’s something in the water at Fairview, so to speak.
“I just think there’s a culture [at Fairview] that we care about how the kids perform,” he said. “We’re always there to help them, the coaches are great and know how to teach and train, and help them develop.
“We never measure how we’re doing by winning and losing, we measure it by watching kids learn physical, mental and emotional skills that help them in life.”
Fairview finished first with 1904.5 points, edging out runner-up Crozet Swim Team, who finished with 1756. FAST (Fluvanna Aquatic Sports Team) came in third, Farmington Country Club finished fourth, and Boar’s Head Swim Club rounded out the top five.
Farmington was the Division II champion and Hollymead was the runner-up, and Glenmore won the Division III award, edging out runner-up City Swordfish.
Going into Saturday’s fourth and final session, Fairview held a 115-point lead on Crozet, but the team made the most of its time in the pool to cruise to the victory.
A total of 13 meet records were broken over the weekend, which is a record in itself. Nine of those were achieved on Friday evening. Among the records broken were two of the longest standing by current Greene Hills coach and JSL legend, Chris Taylor. Taylor’s records in the boys age 9-10 100-yard individual medley (1:11.55) and 50-yard butterfly (0:30.66), which stood since 1981, were both broken by 10-year-old Brian Hynes of Hollymead, who set yet another mark in the 100-yard freestyle.
Hynes beat the 28-year record in the IM by almost three seconds (1:08.66), and the 50 fly by over a second (0:29.09).
Taylor, who was also 10 when he set the records, presented Hynes with his impressive awards, and admitted that he was pleased to pass the torch to his younger counterpart.
“I’ve been asked a lot if I’m disappointed or how I feel about it,” Taylor said, “and I said that these records are there as motivational standards to be broken. Those swims that Bryan had [Friday night] were tremendous, so I was very happy for him.”
Hynes wasn’t the only swimmer to set three marks on Friday, as 14-year old Alex Montes de Oca of Greene Hills set new best times in the age 13-14 100 IM (0:55.61), the 50 fly (0:24.70) and the 50 back (0:26.26).
Alex’s brother and teammate Nick, 17, who will be attending the University of Virginia in the fall, also set two records Friday in the age 15-18 100 IM (0:52.17) and the 50 breast (0:26.58).
Other record setters included: FAST’s Chelsea Tomko, 16 (girls 15-18 50 fly), Lake Monticello’s Fefe Nardone, 10 (girls 9-10 50 back), Fairview’s Andrew Williamson, 12 (boys 11-12 50 breast and 100 free) and the FAST girls 5-8 100 freestyle relay team of Abigail Searcy, 8, Ana Kumeza, 8, Alexandra Owen, 7, and Gabrielle Tosi, 8, who broke the previous mark by over three seconds.
Bob Garland, who has been involved with the JSL since 1979 and served as president twice, explained how the league has come a long way in his 30 years, and continues to grow.
“It has grown beyond my wildest dreams,” admitted Garland, who current president Pat DiGregorio has dubbed the godfather of the league. “The growth has been phenomenal, the league has more than quadrupled in size since I started.”
The championships were broadcast via the Internet for the second year in a row, something Garland thought would never have been an option. Now, in the league’s 44th season, a family member or friend of a JSL swimmer can watch the event on the other side of the globe.