Mark Cirkosz
As with all sports, records are constantly being chased. Some are caught and others will stand the test of time. In swimming, we strive to be the fastest in the pool, while the record for our event looms above us on the wall. A love-hate relationship begins as we strive to become one of those records.
Here at Sweet Home High School, our record board is just that. Its frame is aluminum, has cracked, felt backer board and an array of ransom-note styled numbers and letters, with many different fonts and styles. Going back quite a few years, our style of board became obsolete. Coach Doug Peargin explained he would visit other high schools and gather any spare letters and numbers he could, since those schools no longer used that style of board. I can attest to the story and have seen the four boxes of alphabet soup. Our board’s backing warped through the years, letters fell off and even the metal corroded because of the chlorine. The board was worked and in rough shape, but it was our board.
About a year ago, Sweet Home High School replaced the old board with a new one. The new one is much larger, made of more durable materials and was hung on the wall for all to see at head height as you walk in the pool. It is a calculated placement and reminder for any visitors and the Sweet Home swimmers, which was Swimming Head Coach A. Jay Bronson’s goal. When the old board was taken off the wall, a part of Sweet Home history was taken off the wall as well. That old board was a part of the pool and it needed a home.
A few ideas were tossed around and one landed on the mark. A bar table was made, the board was cleaned up, set inside the table and a piece of glass was placed on top. Other than cleaning it up, the board was left with all its original flaws. The board was given to former Sweet Home High School swimmer Bruce Davis. He has his name on the board four times (’87-’88), as well as his daughters, who also swam. Davis was also a coach for the Sweet Home Swim Club and, with his knowledge and help, has gotten the program where it is today. During Davis’ tenure as the club coach, the majority of the club swimmers were on the high school swim team.
Thank you Bruce. We hope you give the board a good second home. We know you’d be disappointed if one of your records fell, but being an integral part of Sweet Home Swimming, we know you’d appreciate the dedication it took to break it.