Given the proximity to each other, the Hollymead and Forest Lakes swim teams haven’t had much trouble developing a strong rivalry within the Jefferson Swim League. But the fact that both teams are loaded with Albemarle High students adds a little fuel to the fire. As such, when Hollymead and Forrest Lakes get together, in many ways it’s one large chunk of the Patriots swim team versus another.
“It definitely adds to the rivalry for sure,” said Hammerheads swimmer Patrick Tubridy. “But its still summer swimming. It’s a competition, but we’re all out here to have fun.”
Tubridy has unique insight when it comes to the rivalry between Hollymead and Forest Lake and the Albemarle swimmers — he’s been a member of each team. Tubridy was originally a swimmer for Forest Lakes, but quit the sport altogether. Six years later he was back in the pool, but this time for Hollymead thanks to Kelly Gilgannon, another Albemarle swimmer who talked him into getting reinvolved with the sport.
“Summer swimming is a good way for friends to just be able to hang out,” Gilgannon said. “It’s a lot different than high school swimming where everything counts.”
Nonetheless, Tubridy wound up swimming for Albemarle as they took home a Northwest Region championship.
Wednesday, in a happy-go-lucky environment, Tubridy and several of his Albemarle teammates took JSL bragging rights over their Forest Lake counterparts. The match wasn’t able to be completed in full because of time constraints, but the end result saw Hollymead make a strong comeback after a slow start to top the Hurricanes by a mere four points, 511 to 507.
“We got off to a really slow start,” said Hammerheads coach Kristen Wallace. “People were coming up to me asking if I knew the score, and I did, but I didn’t want to tell them. Then we started coming back slowly but surely.
After winning the 50-meter freestyle and backstroke, Tubridy, along with Stephen Topping and Sean and Ryan Cudahy took the boys 15-18 100 meter medley relay. In the same race on the girls side, it was Forest Lakes Albemarle-laden squad of Corinne Sharp, Christine Pajewski, Mackenzie Jones and Kelsey Peck who came in first.
“It’s interesting when (these two teams) get together in the summer because we know one another so well,” Pajewski said. “We know what everyone swims and we know everyone’s times.”
For both squads, this second meet of the year — while scored unlike the first meet of the year — still felt like the first since last week’s meets were significantly curtailed because of weather.
But in the end, the rivalry between the Hammerheads and Hurricanes had swimmers for both squads paying close attention. The previous three meets were decided by 10 or fewer points, and this year was no different.
