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BRONXVILLE, N.Y. Swimmers from the Bronxville Field Club descended on the pool Tuesday at Playland Amusement Park in Rye for the 87th annual Westchester County Swimming Association Counties Championships.
Club teams from throughout the county gathered for the four-day event, which runs from Monday to Thursday.
Blake Preston is in his first year as head coach at Bronxville Field Club but has been on the staff for five years. He swam at the county championships from ages 13 to 17 and now looks on as a coach.
Preston was not part of a club when he swam at the event but always enjoyed seeing his friends with their respective clubs. Now, as a coach, he has a new perspective.
When I got to the other side for coaching, it was nice to be a part of a club, representing the club, Preston said. All my friends were coaching, as well. It was nice to see the swimmers excel and succeed and all that. So it was a rewarding experience on both sides.
Preston said the swimmers take the event seriously but also take it as a chance to loosen up and enjoy themselves.
When it comes to racing, everyone wants to win, so thats the competitive edge, Preston said. But once everyones out of the water, theres no hard feelings or anything like that. Everyones just laughing and walking around. Its a good environment to be at, for sure.
Bronxville Field Club sent 14 swimmers to the county championships, most of whom were summer swimmers. One such summer swimmer is 16-year-old Will Wrotniak, who made his sixth trip to the county championships this year.
Wrotniak attends Fordham Prep, and the event gives him a chance to catch up with many of the swimmers from his school.
Its always been a great experience. All the clubs coming together kind of like a big winter meet but with summer swimming, Wrotniak said. Its always just a good time, nothing really down about it.
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