Friendly Competition as Bernardsville Swims Past Bernards

Both teams characterized Monday's swim meet as fun and exciting, but only one team, the Bernardsville Pool swimmers, left the meet victorious.

The Bernardsville team ended up taking the meet 231 to 192 over Bernards Township at Pleasant Valley Pool, said Bernardsville Swim Coach Anne Laurita.

Hundreds of swimmers converged on the section of the pool set apart with lanes, cheering on their teammates and doing one of the best activities possible at the end of a really hot day. The meet lasted about two hours. 

"They're doing great," Laurita said of her swimmers during the meet. "They're really swimming fast," and just as important, she said, team members also were good sports and supportive of each other out of the pool.

"I always love the Bernardsville meet," said one of Pleasant Valley Pool's head coaches, Amanda Wachenfeld. "It's fun to swim against friends."

Wachenfeld, who said this year's team numbers about 150 swimmers who range in age from the 8 and under team to swimmers in the age 15 to 18 category, acknowledged that Bernardsville is a tough team to beat.

Nevertheless, Wachenfeld said all the PVP swimmers did their best, and the team has won three out of five meets so far. "I could see everyone was pushing themselves," she added. The team next faces the Stardust pool team on Saturday, said Wachenfeld. Another Ridge alumni, Tyler Gibbons, was the other PVP head coach.

Laurita said she couldn't single out a swimmer or few swimmers to praise, but said that the team seemed to do an especially nice job on the back stroke and step-up relay in the second half of the meet. 

"The swimmers really came through," she said. The Bernardsville team next faces Morris Plains on Wednesday, she said.

However, Bernardsville and Pleasant Valley Pool will not meet again until the Meet of Champions at the end of the swim team's season, the coaches said.

This year, the 10 and under portion of the Meet of Champions will be held at the Bernardsville Pool, Laurita said.