The Christiansburg Aquatic Center will be the site of the annual Duane Whitenack City-County Championship this weekend. The meet includes 14 Roanoke Valley Aquatic Association teams, including local teams from Read Mountain Swim Club, Ashley Plantation and Limestone Park.
Hunting Hills is the defending champion but several other teams are looking to unseat the Hound Dogs. Read Mountain was the runner-up in 2019 while Stonegate finished third. There was no season in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The meet starts on Friday at 10:30 a.m. The younger swimmers will compete in the morning session with the 11 and older swimmers taking the pool in the afternoon. The same scenario will be in place on Saturday, but with different events.
The RVAA will present several special awards, including the Duane Whitenack Award for dedication to swimming, scholarships in the name of Sue Blackwell and George Devins, and the RVAA Tyler Nordgren Trophy. Nordgren, a member of the Read Mountain swim team, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage during warm ups for a Monday night meet in July 2001 and died later that week. His brief swimming career was marked by a drive to improve and the excitement that comes with competing and winning ribbons. At age 6, Tyler already had overcome a form of autism that had once required that he attend a school for the hearing-impaired.
A trophy will be awarded at the annual City-County Meet to an 8-and-under swimmer who embodies the spirit of Tyler Nordgren. Ideally, this trophy will go to a first- or second-year swimmer who has overcome a challenge, either physical or developmental, and displayed the kind of enthusiasm for which Tyler was known.
A member of each team will also receive the Irene Hurley Volunteer Award. This award honors the service and dedication of Irene Hurley to the RVAA and the sport of swimming in the Roanoke Valley. These awards honor a lady who was actively involved in the RVAA for over 20 years; including 10 years as treasurer. Every year, teams select a volunteer who emulates the qualities, dedication, and commitment of Irene Hurley.
