Ridgewood wins All-City Swim & Dive Championship
MADISON, Wis. — The All-City Swim & Dive Meet returned this summer, after being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Coaches and Madison area youth aged 4–18 came together the last week in July to keep the tradition going. Events included the backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke and freestyle. Swimmers participated in over 70 individual and relay events.
The meet is the annual capstone event of the Madison All-City Swim & Dive League, and according to their website, it’s one of the largest outdoor amateur meets in the country. Founded in 1962, the league includes over 2,500 youth from 13 member pools: Goodman, Hawks Landing, High Point, Hill Farm, Maple Bluff, Middleton, Monona, Nakoma, Parkcrest, Ridgewood, Seminole, Shorewood and West Side. League members from each pool compete as a team.
The Madison All-City Swim & Dive League provides area youth a summer opportunity to work together as a team, strive for personal athletic goals, create friendships and enjoy lifelong memories.
Ridgewood won this year’s All-City Swim Meet with a total score of 2,746. In second place were the Middleton Gators with 2,121 points, and in third, with 2,103 points, was the Seminole Sharks Swim & Dive Team. The daily atmosphere was enthusiastic as the bleachers were filled with family, friends and swim team members cheering one another on.
“This year’s season focused on the fundamentals and reviewing the basics, such as a good finish and streamlining,” says Bill Wuerger, who has coached at Ridgewood for 29 years, 23 as head coach. Last year’s summer swimmers practiced but didn’t have a chance to participate in meets. This year, says Bill, everyone on the team worked hard to get ready for each meet. Especially during the final three weeks of the season, the coaches saw the hard work pay off with great improvements.
As All-City approached, they stressed for each team member to “have fun and strive for their personal best.” Bill says that some swimmers with less experience might feel nervous or anxious about such a large competition, and this encouragement “helped them to relax and enjoy the experience.”
This year, Ridgewood’s team includes two graduating seniors from Verona Area High School, Asher Maradiaga and Lucia Haffner. Asher swam with Ridgewood for 14 years and is planning to participate in a service/leadership program before attending UW Milwaukee in the fall of 2022. Lucia swam for Ridgewood for 11 years and is planning to attend Northwestern University this fall.
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