The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON – Swimming has been a summertime favorite for area youth for many years. The Dayton Swim Team gives those kids a chance to put their skills to the test in a competitive and fun environment.

The summer league team that competes from mid-June until the beginning of August has long been a staple of summertime recreation in Dayton. The team takes part in meets against other area teams such as Colfax and Pomeroy. The meets are usually hosted by the teams' local pools.

Heats are run at different lengths and by different strokes, along with medleys (a race where an individual or a relay team have to do a set length of each stroke) and relay races swam by teams of four. Swimmers can range in age anywhere from 4 or 5 up to the maximum age of 18 for competitors. Heats are also divided by gender.

The Dayton Swim Team is coached by Rosy Nechodom. She is currently in her 14th year of coaching, and is planning on making this year her last as a full-time coach.

"I just need a break from the "full time" commitment required during the summer when that is our family's best opportunity for traveling/vacations," she said. "Our oldest daughter now lives in Bolivia, and we want the flexibility to visit her sometime." Nechodom also cited health issues as a reason for her decision.

She runs practices for the team every weekday morning that doesn't fall on the day of a meet, which are usually held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"Our 9:00 practice focuses on proper stroke technique, whereas the 8:00 group works to build their endurance," explained Nechodom. "I really like to emphasize proper stroke techniques. Correct form is more important than speed. Learning to do the stroke correctly takes practice and is rewarding when one is not disqualified at the meet.

Coaching the team has brought Nechodom many great memories, as she has always been in it for the kids to have fun. 

"There are many rewards for me personally," she said. "Perhaps at the top of my list is seeing the kids grow in self-confidence and pride at their accomplishments. I love all the happy faces. I love to celebrate with them when they do something they didn't think they could."

One memory stands out in Nechodom's mind. "A very special memory I will cherish happened at the County Meet in 2014. My 13- and 14-year-old girls' relay team made a conscience choice to give their first place medals to their competitors. My team had actually finished in 2nd place, but were moved up to first place when the winning team had been disqualified. A girl from the other team broke a meet rule by helping her teammate out of the water.

This was not a very well-known or enforced rule, and the Dayton girls felt it was unfair for the other team to lose out on their gold medals as a result of helping out a teammate. The girls discussed this situation and decided all by themselves to give away their medals to the faster relay team.

We (their parents and I) were unaware of this sacrifice until later when comments came out on Facebook. The league recognized the girls by giving each of them a special trophy for 'Outstanding Sportsmanship.' The girls showed incredible empathy and I felt such pride in them. It still brings me tears of joy just remembering it."

This year, the team is made up of 40 swimmers, some of which joined after watching the first meet and deciding they wanted to swim as well, according to Nechodom.

The meets held during the season all lead up to the County Meet held annually in Colfax. The meet, which requires swimmers to qualify by participating in a set number of meets as well as posting a qualifying time, is seen by many as one of the most competitive and rewarding meets of the year.

Dayton currently holds ten County meet records; five relay and five individuals. Nechodom thinks that due to several strong individual swimmers, the team will be competitive going into County this year.

The Dayton Swim Team was started in the 1980s, and is run completely by volunteers. They are responsible for everything from organizing meets to being the timers and starters for the meets.

Ian Smay

Alex Jenkins prepares to get wet during a practice session.

Two individuals that Nechodom mentioned were her husband, Dan, who "has used his computer skills to take our team from a paper and pencil record system to a very effective and efficient data management and meet management system," and Lisa Naylor, who "has supported the team in so many ways over the past decade or more."

Another way people volunteer to help the swim team is through coaching, as the team has benefitted from many assistants along the way. This has included former and current lifeguards, including Marshall Nechodom and Heather Ball.

This year, the team is receiving help from 19-year-old Hannah Holman, a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, where she swims on the varsity team. Holman recently competed at the US Olympic Trials in the 200 Individual Medley.

The County Meet ends the swim team's season on Saturday, August 6th in Colfax.