Featuring the perfect blend of competitiveness and fun, the Fairfield County Swim League – which includes swimmers from under age 8 to age 17 – is a gem of the summer.
Both the Country Club of New Canaan and the New Canaan Field Club recently wrapped up their dual meet seasons and are preparing for divisionals and county championships.
With a 1-4 record in Division 4, Country Club of New Canaan’s first year head coach Eileen Loveless said the amount of young swimmers – specifically in the age 8 to 10 and underage groups – shows that they are “starting to build our team back up again.”
Because the team is building from these young age groups, Loveless says she enjoys seeing the growth of her swimmers over the course of the season.
Following a tough first loss to Greenwich Water Club, Loveless noted extremely “positive meet experiences” with both Shorehaven and Paterson Clubs because they were competitive, and the progress of CCNC swimmers was evident in the abundance of best times.
“They were the most exciting meets for us because it’s where Country Club of New Canaan really rallied our spirit, where our team came together and our joy and enthusiasm seemed to reach its height,” Loveless said.
Country Club of New Canaan has three graduating seniors, Ryan Abbott, Julia Means and Abigail Ker, who have been swimming for the team since they were young. Loveless said the team will “miss them greatly.”
Loveless said the team has three county hopefuls: Maggie Murphy (10 & under), Ryan Abbott (17 & under) and Peter Sloan (17 & under), who swam an undefeated season and broke a CCNC record in the 50 breaststroke this year.
The team has had three overall high point winners: Ashton Tinkernell (8 & under) tied with Becky Panella (14 & under) for overall girls high point, and Ryan Abbot for overall boys high point.
After the end of her first dual season at Country Club of New Canaan, Loveless described it as a “really good fit for me.”
“I was impressed with the kindness here, the total support from the parents and the kids and the eagerness of the kids to learn,” Loveless said. “I get to teach all things swimming from A to Z and experience the joys of teaching from so many different levels.”
In Division 2, New Canaan Field Club ended with a 4-2 record and was undefeated at home.
Though starting the season with a 100 point loss to Roton Point, the Field Club’s season took a turn when it won its second meet against Milbrook. Head Coach Drew Kingman pinpointed the Stamford Yacht Club and the Innis Arden meet – which the Field Club lost by only six points – as both competitive and exciting meets for the team.
The Field Club’s high point girls’ winner was Alex Pastushan (12 & under), who attained a pool record in the 12 & under 50 butterfly and got only one second place the entire summer. The high point boys’ winner was Jackson Oehmler (14 & under), who attained a pool record in the 50 backstroke and got sixteen first places over the course of the summer.
The Field Club has four graduating seniors, who are all going into their senior year of high school: Madeleine Smith, Shannon Bucci, Dariush Amir-Aslani and Graham Russell.
“They have all been on the team since they were a young age and grew up swimming at the Field Club,” Kingman said. “They will all be representing New Canaan High School on the boys and girls teams this year.”
After a 4-2 season – and, Kingman noted, only six points from a 5-1 season – “The kids are always excited to do their bonsai cheer and swim, and it is always exciting to finish another year undefeated at home,” he said.
wb Waveny Pool and the Lake Club. Both ‘clubs’ are in New Canaan and are in Division 1….