Hammerheads 2006 Season Winds Down

Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006

The Hammerheads have completed the dual meet portion of the 2006 summer swim league and are preparing for the City Championship Meet on Tuesday, July 25 at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The Hammerheads finished the season with a 0-4 record in the dual meets, but turned in strong performances in the last two meets, loosing both by narrow margins. While the 2006 record may seem disappointing, the performance at the City Championships is the actual gauge of the success of the season.

Dual meets are sometimes misleading because if one team has a large number of swimmers in one or two age groups and the opponent only has a few (or none), the teamwith the larger number of swimmers can capture all of the points in that age division(s) and their opponent can only hope to stay close. Such was the fate of the Hammerheads this year. However, the City Championship the opportunity for a well balanced team to earn a few points here and a few points there and finish in the upper tier of the 14 team meet, especially since the top eight finishers in each race receive points compared to only the top three finishers in the dual meets. Additionally, team relays are scored at the City Championship meet, with the winning team earning a whopping 18 points (individual race winners earn 9 points for a first place finish).

In the past three years the Hammerheads have finished 1-3 at the dual meets, loosing only by 10 or fewer points (with the exception of the Chenal CC meets). The Hammerheads have then followed up with an excellent showing at the City Championships, finishing second in the Gold division each year. So, as the 2006 Hamerheads look forward to the City Championships, they can also look to the past for additional inspiration.— Wed, July 19, 2006

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