Cal Invitational "Always another level....."
From the very first sound of the buzzer that a six-year-old hears to start his first 25-yard freestyle race to the Olympic finish that comes down to the hundredths of a second, swimming is one sport that knows how to embrace the athlete of any level. After any achievement, there’s always another goal to work towards – and that’s the beautiful thing about the sport.
This year, Tri Valley Aquatics took 13 swimmers to the Cal Invitational swim meet, hosted by none other than the UC Berkeley itself. Hannah Bergh, Marissa Bergh, Maria Carlson, Adam Conway, Connor Daly, Stephanie Doi, Chris Dotson, Jonathan Feldman, Thomas Gjerde, Jordan Reznick, Natalie Tang, Julian Wagner, and Sydney Wagner competed in a variety of events, from the 50 yard freestyle to the 400 yard individual medley.
The way the meet was run, every swimmer had their races back-to-back: Hannah Bergh swam 8 races in one day, with 3 within about ten minutes. Even for the sprints, the swimmers had to show their endurance from long hours in the pool. Tri Valley Aquatics’ surprising strength, however, was found to be in its swimmers whose beginnings were in a summer recreational swim league. Of the team’s 10 swimmers who made finals, 7 spent their first years in the pool during the short months of summers past. Head coach Daniel Ridosko, known among his swimmers for the first few practices they had with him, when he wouldn’t let up a hard set even though they were new, seems to have made a hobby of running new swimmers into the ground – or the black line at the bottom of the pool – until they’re champions.
The Cal Invitational marked the one-year anniversary of high school senior Chris Dotson’s “year-round” swimming career. In the summer of 2009, Chris was looking to place at his summer league championships. This past weekend, Chris entered multiple finals heats as the top seed for the event. The meet was Stephanie Doi’s first, and she competed in three events (which she made finals in) and a relay. Both Jordan Reznick and Julian Wagner, who also began on a summer team, made their first finals sessions this past weekend.
One of the most exciting elements of the Cal Invitational is the environment – its location at one of the country’s most prestigious universities, and its being run by a team of national champions. While it added to the pressure for some swimmers, for most it was an inspiration to see the swimmers they look up to, in person. Saturday morning, Marissa Bergh, who swam 8 events and competed in multiple finals and relays, spotted Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian prepping the snack bar. Seeing big names around the pool was an inspiration to the swimmers, and getting to compete with several was a taste of swimming at its finest.
The meet of last weekend showcased every level of swimming: the new swimmer from the summer league who can sprint but is still learning how to pace, the “veterans” who really have just finally gotten the hang of races like the 200 butterfly, and the world champions. Tri Valley ’s roster even included a masters swimmer, Adam Conway, who swam multiple events and finals.
Whether they’re just starting out, just getting the hang of it, or starting to look toward huge goals like the Olympic Trials next year, the Cal Invitational was a refreshing wake-up call for all. And whether they’ve been swimming for a year or a lifetime, there’s one sound that still gets the heart pumping and the adrenaline racing: that buzzer, whatever race it’s for.
Natalie Tang
TVA Team Captain
