Reigning Champions Sudley Seahorses Defend Title

How will the Sudley Seahorses fare next week in their division finals against the Braemar Blasters who were undefeated all summer? This is the question being asked about the Manassas swim team which, up until last year, enjoyed a 14-year winning streak.

Coach Dennis Miller, who has also been the General Manager of Sudley for 45 years, said the team intends to work hard and do their best. But newer teams that have sprung up with the development of the Linton Hall corridor have proven challenging.

“All those teams have gotten good, very good,” Miller said.

There are now more than 5,000 swimmers on 24 teams in the Prince William Swim League, which brings about more competition. The 14 years of victory was “a nice streak, while it lasted,” said Miller.

While Miller admits the Blasters are the favorite team, he said the Seahorses will do the best they can. They have a shot at victory with swimmers such as Sam Pomajevich who has even been competing against 18-year-old swimmers. Jamie Cornwell and Sydney Craft are the strongest of the 9-10 year olds.

“These are swimmers who are strong in every event,” he said.

And the girls are well situated because of leadership skills 18-year-old swimmer Emma Nowak provides.

“Emma has lots of leadership ability,” Miller said.

What makes the Seahorses unique is that Sudley is a private club, as opposed to other teams which are tied to subdivision pools.  Also, because there is a cost associated with joining the club, parents have a different outlook.

“People tend to join when their kids are little,” he said.  “But when the kids stop swimming, they stop joining.”

Miller said the team would not be able to function without the dedication of parents, though. According to Miller, “It takes an army to hold a swim competition.”  Parents serve as time keepers, scorers, and starters, to name a few of the roles.  And parents are ultimately the ones who keep the kids swimming, mostly all year long.

“If you want to be good in swimming, you have to be consistent,” Miller said.

But you don’t want to burn them out, either, which is easy to do when the kids start swimming at 7 a.m. and don’t finish until mid-afternoon.

“The most important thing is, swimming is a great family sport,” Miller said.  “It’s thriving, and that’s a great thing.”

The Seahorses, Blasters and the Piedmont Tsunamis will compete for the title Blue Division Champions, which is the top-tier division in the league, July 26 at Piedmont Community Pool.