Averse Weather Forces Rescheduling of County Swimming Meet

After having already delayed the meet by over an hour because of thunder, Westchester County Swimming Association (WCSA) officials ended up canceling Monday’s Day 1 of the 2011 County Championships at the Playland pool in Rye.

That decision ultimately turned out to be the right one, as not 10 minutes had past after the announcement was made that severe lightning and thunder storms passed through the area, bringing heavy rain, winds and even hail along with them.

The meet will now be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with Monday’s events being divided up and added to schedule of events for the three other sessions. After agreeing to cancel Monday’s events, meet officials considered moving the entire competition back by one day and having teams compete on Friday, but ultimately decided against it. Officials might run into more weather-related problems later in the week, as more unfavorable conditions are forecasted for Wednesday afternoon.

Local teams set to compete at the County meet on Tuesday include Lake Isle County Club, Leewood Golf Club, Siwanoy Country Club and Bronxville Field Club. Warm-ups will begin at 3 p.m. with the first event – the preliminaries of the 17 & Under girls 100 yard butterfly – scheduled for 4 p.m. The altered scheduled calls for 16 finals on Tuesday, with the last event scheduled to conclude at 8:50 p.m. 

During one of the early weather delays on Monday, WCSA President Paul McClintock announced that due to budget cuts this year would most likely be the last time that Playland will host the Westchester County Swimming Championships. The WCSA board along with the County’s Parks and Recreation Department are currently seeking for another venue to host the historic meet.

The championships were first held in 1926, with the WCSA getting its start three years later in 1929. The Playland pool has hosted the meet for over 50 years.

For more information on the 2011 Westchester County Swimming Championships, including an updated schedule of events, results, records and general announcements visit the Westchester County Swimming Association’s website. Check back in with Bronxville-Eastchester Patch later on this week for local coverage of the championships, including results, pictures and interviews.