December 17, 2002

Dear Countryside Torpedo Swim Team Parents and Swimmers,

Our team has just successfully hosted our third Countryside YMCA Torpedoes David A. Hewitt Polar Bear Invitational for the 2002 calendar year. In doing so, we have made several new highlights on the timeline of our teams history. Last January we hosted the first Polar Bear of the 2002 swim season. We did this with our new coach Brad Isham, a new meet director, a new PB director, AND in a pool that had just been converted from meters to yards. Very shortly after PB we hosted our very first Coaches Classic. Coaches Classic is the largest high school swim meet in the United States and it is very prestigious. This meet reaches out beyond our YMCA family to all the high school swimmers in the Cincinnati area. Countryside Torpedoes did this with a newly created Coaches Classic Committee, lead by our very own Leslie Nettling. Coach's Classic also marked the first time our team had our own parents man the console with Claudia Multer as trainer. This meet was so successful that the Countryside Torpedoes were asked if we would host the Coaches Classic again in 2003, which we happily accepted.

The Summer Polar Bear marked another first for our team by being the first long course invitational we ever hosted. This meet presented challenges to us that could not be foreseen. Claudia Multer was with us again but this time her role was to be support to Leslie Nettling and the console team. Once again, Countryside Torpedoes rose to the occasion and the First Countryside Torpedoes David A. Hewitt Long Course Invitational was a great success.

Ross Schmidt opened the 2002-2003 swim season by serving the Countryside Torpedoes Swim Team as the new Booster Board President. With the decision to move the Polar Bear to December, The Torpedoes were once again busy preparing for another invitational. This Polar Bear marked our team's history by being the third Polar Bear within a year. It also made history for us by being the first meet the console team operated solo.

These are only some of the highlights. The Torpedo Swim Team Family created these highlights by working together and staying positive in mind, body and spirit. Whew! You are amazing!

I needed to go through this brief timeline to help express how grateful I am for all the support each one of you gave to insure the second Winter Polar Bear 2002 was a success. We, parents and swimmers, have worked very hard separately and together. Our December Polar Bear would not have been successful without the entire volunteer work each of you offered. The work YOU did was important, whether it was visible or behind the scenes-whether you are a swimmer or a parent. The work YOU did contributed greatly to the strength of the Countryside Swim Team Program and the success of the December 2002 Polar Bear.

Thank-you from the bottom of our chlorinated hearts!

Continue to swim happy,
     Jeannie and Larry Brotherton    Kathy and Terry Bowlin