Nov. 3, 2008 – The St. Croix Dolphins youth swim team swam for 24 consecutive hours as a fundraiser to help pay for scholarships for swimmers who cannot afford the team and for team travel to off-island meets. It took place from 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 1, through 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 2.
The 100-person team was divided into shifts of swimmers to make sure there was at least one person swimming for the entire 24 hours. The coaching staff of head coach Kevin Tyrrell and head age-group coach Nadene Landry swam during the early morning and late afternoon time frames in addition to the swimmers, many of whom were in the pool for six to eight hours.
Ten-year-old swimmers Kori Doran and Emma Logan started off the event and were the youngest swimmers to complete two consecutive hours of swimming, each swimming over two miles.
Melissa Acevedo, Caylee Watson, Brigitte Rasmussen and Gloria Morales, swam the most hours for the Dolphins, a total of six hours each, and completed a total of 54,000 meters total (36 miles).
Seven-year-old Gabriel Sanes is the youngest swimmer on the team, and he completed a whopping 50 laps over a two-hour period, without the aid of equipment like fins or kickboards.
Jonathon Thomas and Nicholas Dascher, both 9-year-olds, swam the most amounts of laps for their age group, using equipment. Thomas swam a total of 132 laps within the two hours. Dascher was right behind him, completing a total of 130 laps.
Bryson Mays, Caylee Watson, Brigitte Rasmussen and Colton Lancaster stayed at the Dolphin's pool the entire 24 hours and were part of the older group that ensured at least one Dolphin was swimming at all times between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Lancaster, age 13, said, "Staying up all night and joking with all my friends has been a great experience. I'm new to the team this year and I have already made a lot of great friends and memories. I encourage more kids to join the team."
The Dolphins used the Swim-a-Thon to unveil an exciting new initiative. The team is working to switch all of their electrical power to solar generation, and the purchase of a new solar-powered pace clock was the first step. The clock is an investment that will pay for itself in the next several years.
"It's a no brainer. We spend over $50,000 per year on our WAPA bills. Most of this is from equipment used to keep the pool and our facilities clean. St. Croix is an ideal place to "go solar" and it's great for our team's long-term financial stability, and it's wonderful for the environment," said Rich Carter, president of the Dolphin Board of Directors.
The next event for the Dolphins will be Kids Night Out 6:30-9 p.m., on Friday, Nov. 21. Children ages 6-13 are welcome to join in the fun: swimming in the pool, using "The Rok," playing water polo, sharks and minnows, and the cannonball contest.
For information, contact the Dolphins at 719-7946 or dolphinscoach@islands.vi.
