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Helping hands for the JSL

In the first week of the Jefferson Swim League, while the alarms sound and times are technicaly kept, officially, it’s a test run. On Wednesday, the meet between Farmington and Glenmore served the bulk of its purpose – getting the youngest swimmers to pick up some meet experience while allowing others to toy around in various events. But thanks to a thunderstorm, a hefty chunk of the meet went unfinished. Nonetheless, both squads were happy to kick off the season, even if it was for all intents and purposes, an exhibition meet.

“There are two unscored meets in the year, and the first week is always one of them,” said Farmington coach Shelley Remaly. “This first meet is really an opportunity for the kids, officials and volunteers to get set.”

Second year Glenmore coach Rich Laird echoed those same sentiments.

“For the first meet, it’s just great to get a chance to knock off the rust,” Laird said. “More than anything though, it’s a chance to mix everyone into different events.”

It’s also an chance for the older swimmers to establish their roles as team leaders. And in week one, Trent Holden and Eli Holstege seem to have cemented themselves at the helms of their respective teams.

Just three years ago, Holden was living in England but since coming to Charlottesville, the St. Anne’s-Belfield student has been a part of the Jefferson Swim League for Farmington. As one of Remaly’s junior assistant coaches, when she’s not in the pool swimming, she’s helping the youngest members of the team.

“Trent is absolutely terrific with the kids,” said Remaly. “She’s really good at dealing with the younger kids on our team. She leads the team with the cheers and she has a lot of poise and makes a lot of contributions.”

Working with the younger age groups (six and under) came naturally to Holden – she remembers it wasn’t so long ago that she was aided by top swimmers on her team.

“They’re so willing to learn,” Holden said. “It’s great to see how they develop. You see them and think about how you used to be when you were their age.”

And when it came time for her to step aside from her coaching duties and swim, Holden performed well as she took first place in the 50 meter free style for girls 15-18 in 30.69.

Eli Holstege has a very similar role for Glenmore. The Covenant student is one the top performers that Glenmore has, but with a team that is made up mostly of younger age groups, Laird views Holstege as not just a veteran swimmer and aid, but almost as the face of the team.

“We’ve got a very strong population of younger kids, but not a lot of older swimmers,” Laird said. “Having a talented swimmer like Eli around, a swimmer that can do some of the glamorous things, that really helps us retain kids as they get older. It keeps them wanting to swim for the team.”

Holstege, whose been swimming since he was five years old, knows what it’s like to transition from one end of the spectrum to the other.

“I can remember back then when the pools were cold and we didn’t have a heater,” Holstege said. “But it was a ton of fun, I loved it. The JSL allows you to fine tune some things, but mostly it’s just a lot of fun. I come here because I want to help the kids. The main thing is just to cheer them on and make them feel comfortable.”

Holstege was supportive of his teammates, but his teammates were equally supportive of him and understandably so. Holstege was the top finisher in the 50 free for boys 15-18 by more than three seconds with a time of 26.09.

For the meet as a whole, both Ramaly and Laird were happy to see progress on their respective teams.

Ramaly singled out Danny O’Dea and Joe Jennings for her team. O’Dea took top honors in the 50 free for boys 13-14 while Jennings did the same in the 50 butterfly, also for boys 13-14.

“I thought Danny looked very strong in the pool,” Ramaly said. “And Joe’s starting to put it all together.”

For Laird, while there were noteworthy individual performances, he was most pleased with the development of his seven and eight-year olds — the future of his team.

“They make up the bulk of our team and it was great to see how they’ve come along,” Laird said.

Times and finishes may not have counted on Wednesday. But there’s no doubt that younger members of the team still got a kick out of watching the team leaders show their skills. However as both Holden and Holstege have shown, the JSL is a continuous cycle. It won’t be too long before those younger swimmers are out in the limelight.

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