Michael Walker and Patrick Snell, both who grew up swimming for the Wildcatter Swim Team and went on to become accomplished swimmers at Bridgeport High School and West Virginia University and Wheeling-Jesuit University, respectively, were instrumental in organizing the first annual WV50.

 

Sponsored by the Planet Swim Foundation, the event was held Jan. 2-4 at the Harrison County YMCA/Harry Green Aquatic Center and involved dozens of swimmers of all ages, who worked with Olympic swimmers, flown in from Barbados, Canada and from across the U.S.

 

Snell explained the history of the event, which serves as both a unique training event for aspiring swimmers and a fundraiser to teach underprivileged children how to swim, as well as provide scholarships to year-round swimmers who need financial assistance.

 

 “This all originally started in Jacksonville, Florida. Bolles Academy developed the program, in part, to help Planet Swim Foundation – an organization that helps provide swim lessons to underprivileged youth,” he said. “The gentleman that started that – was a WVU swim coach who moved to Florida to take over with Bolles.”

 

That coach was Sergio Lopez, member of Spain’s 1988 and 1992 Olympic swim teams. Lopez trained in the U.S. for the 1988 games in Seoul, South Korea, where he won a bronze medal – one of four Olympic medals for Spain. Following other training/coaching positions, Lopez served as head coach for the WVU men’s and women’s swim teams. He was named Big East Men’s Coach of the Year in both 2006 and 2007. During the latter year, the men’s team won its very first Big East Championship. A member of that team, Michael Walker – among other notable accomplishments - went on to join the coaching staff of the Bolles Sharks in 2010.

 

 “So Michael called me – probably during the spring of last year – and mentioned the WV50 and the possibility of making this thing happen here in West Virginia,” said Snell, a physical therapist at Mountain State Physical Therapy and volunteer swim coach at Harrison County YMCA. “I told him I thought that possibility was excellent and asked how we could make that happen.”

 

For the next several months, much preliminary planning was under way for the two-day swim meet, which ultimately came to fruition and was successful during its inaugural year.

 

“Friday and Saturday (Jan. 2 and 3) were open to anybody of all ages and genders and of all swim experience,” Snell said.

 

Preliminaries were held in the morning; those events serving as qualifiers for evening races. Swimmers from age 10 through 60-plus took part.

 

“The top eight qualified to swim again that night in head-to-head competition,” Snell said. “Eventually we were left with two people swimming for the championship.”

 

Winners were awarded a combined $10,000 in prize dollars. Contributing in a big way was Harry Green Chevrolet. The late Harry Green was instrumental in the establishment of the YMCA and the Green family continues to be extremely supportive of the facility.

 

Through sponsorships, meet entries and donations, the event raised funds for Planet Swim Foundation, which will ultimately benefit the YMCA of Harrison County.

 

“They have a system in place for youth who qualify for the program. Parents can draw money from the foundation for free swim lessons,” Snell said. “The ultimate mission of the foundation is to limit drowning among youth. The figures are astonishing – not necessarily in West Virginia, but across the country.”

 

The Olympic swim professionals took part in the competition and, as is typical, a couple of them walked away with the championship.

 

“We were down to the last two professionals and they tied to a 100^th of a second,” Snell said. “You don’t see that often.”

 

Bridgeport’s Gabe Wilson, who swims with West Virginia University’s club swim team, captured fourth place. That was an impressive feat, Snell said. 

 

The last leg of the WV50 was a swim clinic, held Sunday.

“Again, that was open to anybody – coaches and swimmers of all ages,” Snell said. “The professionals discussed dry land training, stroke technique, nutrition and how to progress as a swimmer.”

 

About 40 locals took part in the WV50. The first to be held in West Virginia, the Clarksburg event will become an annual occurrence.

 

ROOT Sports of the Florida Swim Network filmed the entire weekend and will be putting together a video, which will air on Distribution 360 and possibility West Virginia Public Broadcasting. 

 

Editor's Notes: Pictured above, from top, are Snell (BHS class of 2004), Walker (BHS class of 2005) and Lopez. Also pictured is the Harry Green Aquatic Center at the Harrison County YMCA, taken during the facility's ribbon cutting held in October of 2013.

 

Read Connect-Bridgeport's prior story about Michael Walker coaching at the London Olympic games HERE.

 

Read more about Sergio Lopez HERE. 

 

Read about Planet Swim Foundation HERE.