Racers launch from the edge as younger fans and family members cheer them on at the Lovelock Classic swim meet.
Swimmers took deep breaths and jumped into the pool on Saturday at the Lovelock Invitational.
The annual youth swim meet brought 77 competitors and a lot of hometown spirit to the local pool on a cold June day.
Spectators wore jackets or covered themselves with blankets.
The girls’ basketball team sold drinks from the concession stand. It was more like football weather than swimming weather.
Swim coaches Tammie Montes and her daughter-in-law, Chelsea Montes, prepped the Mustangs for the competition.
They are already planning their next match in Yerington later this month.
It was pool manager Marti Nolan’s first swim meet. She stepped into the role after the loss of longtime, beloved manager Pat Rowe.
“Since I was little, I used to say I wanted to run the pool like Mrs. Rowe someday,” Nolan said. “Here we are! It’s a lot of work, but we’re doing all the trainings and classes and making it work. Thanks to the parents and kids for their patience.”
Swimmers dive into the pool as bundled-up spectators watch from the deck during Saturday’s chilly Lovelock Classic.
Yerington sent 33 swimmers to the meet, while 44 represented Lovelock. Grouped by age (6 and under, 7–8, 9–10, 11–12, 13–14 and 15–18), they competed in over 60 events, some with multiple heats, encompassing a wide range of swimming strokes, including freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, individual medley and several relays.
Volunteers kept things running smoothly, serving as timers, officials and announcers. Meanwhile, the kids kept the energy high despite the chill.
Nolan supervises a team of ten lifeguards. Six returned from last year: Taylor Garland, Madysen Grenz, Izayuh McGlothin, Grace Kalsem, Hayley Montes and Lily Burt.
New guards this summer include Arya Garland, Lilly Wagner, Khloe Montes, and Chealse Woodard.
Since the pool opened on July 4, 1974, it has trained and employed over 400 lifeguards.
Visitors to the pool may notice something new - a rack of lifejackets. They’re part of the Note and Float program, a safety initiative used at public pools to prevent drowning by identifying non-swimmers and requiring them to wear life vests in deeper water.
In small towns, history has a way of coming full circle. Nolan swam for the Mustangs as a child.
“I was probably six when I joined the swim team. Now my kids are on it, in the same pool. Tammie Montes was my coach, and now she’s coaching my kids,” she said.
She summed up her thoughts about the swim meet.
“Despite the temperatures, we made it through. I want to thank everyone who helped today go so smoothly, especially Tammie Montes, Rich Wagner, Chelsea Montes and all my amazing lifeguards. Congrats to all the swimmers,” she said.