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SSC makes splash in Guam
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Posted on Dec 12 2005
The Saipan Swim Club continued its tradition of success over the weekend as Nina Mosley, Blair Nichols, Clay McCullough-Stearns, and Emma McCullough-Stearns earned their stripes against a formidable field in Guam.
Outnumbered by approximately 80 swimmers from a competing Guamanian teams, the fantastic four took it to their neighbors by bagging 11 first place finishes away from the familiar Marpi waters.
Mosley won all three of her events by taking the 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly, and 200m freestyle in the 15-and-over division while Nichols did the same in the 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle, and 50m backstroke in the 11-12 year old division.
The McSiblings combined to take five tapes as Clay McCullough-Stearns cut through the water to take the 100m backstroke, 50m backstroke, and 50m freestyle in the 9-10 year old division, while Emma was the best in the 50m and 100m breaststroke in the 11-12 year old division.
“We swam well, but it was a small meet and we didn’t take many kids,” said SSC Coach Michael Stewart.
According to the coach, the SSC was originally planning on taking 10 tankers to Guam, but that number eventually whittled down to four after six of the would-be participants were unable to make the trip.
While the fiercesome foursome were the first to touch the wall a number of times, Stewart said that winning is not the only level by which he measures progress.
“I don’t care whether they win or not. I am interested in times and improving. Winning isn’t everything. You can swim against a bunch of lousy swimmers and win but still swim lousy yourself. The beauty of this sport is that I am looking for improvement in times, not necessarily firsts and seconds. The only time it counts is when you get a medal,” he said.
Even if Santa Claus doesn’t deliver medals to the local swimmers, they will have a chance to go for the gold at the end of the month during the Guam International Race on Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Wednesday, Dec. 28.
According to Stewart, the SSC will be taking 25-30 kids to the southernmost link in the Marianas Islands chain to challenge some of the best from Japan, Palau, and Guam.
