Making a splash
Jason Galloway, Madison Record
The Madison Dolphins have a reason to feel confident going into this weekend's state swim meet.
Madison won 34 gold, 19 silver and 20 bronze medals in the 60 individual events. They also won 18 gold, one silver and five bronze medals in the 20 relay events.
After their dominance at district, the Dolphins will test their skills against the best in the state when Madison hosts the 2007 Alabama Recreation and Parks (ARPA) State Championships at the Dublin Aquatic Center July 27-28.
"I feel very confident going into this weekend, especially since we will be able to swim in our own pool. The kids are fired up about swimming in their own city and they want to represent Madison the best they can," Dolphins assistant coach Wade Thaxton said.
The Dolphins are excited about hosting the state meet, and they have worked hard all summer to be at their best for this event.
"From the beginning of May to now, I have seen a lot of improvement in our swimmers' times and stroke work," Thaxton said.
Madison has never hosted this event before and it is expected to have a very positive impact on the city.
"The Dolphins are looking forward to the competition, and this is undoubtedly the biggest sporting event to ever come to Madison. We anticipate 1,000 to 1,200 swimmers, their families and guests in Madison during this weekend. It is a great opportunity to showcase our city," said Phil Deaton, president of the Dolphins.
The Dolphins recently purchased and installed a $15,000 state of the art scoreboard that was donated to the Dublin Aquatic Center.
"The addition of this scoreboard makes the Dublin Pool one of the best 25-yard competition pools around," Deaton said.
The Dublin Aquatic Center is sure to be filled with plenty of excitement over the next two days with over 1,000 swimmers from 29 teams competing in 1,632 different events. Ninety-seven Madison Dolphin swimmers are expected to compete.
Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines, a three-time gold medalist at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, will be present for the opening ceremony Friday, July 27, at 9 a.m. Gaines, a member of the Olympic and International Swimming Halls of Fame, is in the Madison area to help promote the new YMCA facility being built.
sWIM pARENT wrote on Jul 26, 2007 3:48 PM: