“The Counties,” as the annual Westchester County Swim Association Meet is affectionately known, went swimmingly, and competitively, at the Playland Pool August 3 through 6.

By Melanie Cane

 

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“The Counties,” as the annual Westchester County Swim Association Meet is affectionately known, went swimmingly, and competitively, at the Playland Pool August 3 through 6. Nearly 40 teams participated in 48 events. The diving competition was held at Lake Isle Country Club July 27-28.

Rye Golf Club’s Katie Laverty, 13, and Michael Ackert, 14, won their diving events, the Girls 10-13 and Boys 14-17, respectively. Each diver is judged on five dives. Ackert, who will be a sophomore at Rye High School, beat out his closest competitor by 15 points. Laverty, who is entering eighth grade at Rye Middle School, scored 198.50 points, beating her closest competitor, Shenorock’s Devon Ott by 14 points. Westchester Country Club’s Keelin Sibley came in third. Kim Wei, 10, of Rye Golf Club finished 7th out of 24 divers. Rye Golf Club’s Giana Waldman took third place in the Girls 14-17 event. These divers led RGC to a first-place finish, beating out 14 other teams.

Several Rye swimmers made a splash as well. Coveleigh Club’s William Scala, 10, placed second in the 10 & Under 50 Freestyle and Butterfly. In the Girls 14 & Under 100 Backstroke, WCC’s Emmy Sammons took second place. RGC’s Thomas Mackey, 16, placed third in the 17 & Under 200 IM and 100 Backstroke. Shenorock’s Alexandra Marshall finished in third place in the 10 & Under 50 Backstroke.

While there was lots of great competition to celebrate at the 90th annual Counties, rumors concerning the event’s unsure future swirled through the meet like an undertow. At issue is whether Standard Amusements, which is due to take over operational control of Playland in November, transforms the pool into a water park.

And even if the pool is available for the 91st meet next summer, organizers worry they may not be able to recruit enough volunteers to run it. Volunteers are the backbone of Counties, and their numbers have been sliding over the past several years.