Isaac Blevins competes during the WOAL Championship Meet in 2022 at Wapakoneta Waterpark.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
BLUFFTON – More than 500 swimmers and their families will descend on Bluffton July 12-13 for the annual Western Ohio Aquatics League Swim Championships.
The WOAL is for swimmers aged 5-18 who are members of one of the league’s teams.
Bluffton Village pool is the host site for the 2024 Swim Championships and will host seven teams, the Ada Gators, Bluffton Sardines, Findlay Frogs, Kenton Stingrays, Shawnee Tide, Wapakoneta Waves, Westside Wave and Van Wert Marlins.
Events start at 9 a.m. on Friday and conclude around 2 p.m. Day two of the championships starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday and concludes around 3 p.m. The league champs are crowned at the end of day two.
“We are expecting close to 3,000 people in Bluffton for the two-day event,” said Jennie Wilson, manager of the Bluffton Village pool and president of the Bluffton Sardines Swim Club. “There is great energy behind swimming as a sport in our area and the summer league program is a great way to keep the swimmers active and competitive.”
Each year the championships rotate between the Bluffton, Kenton and Wapakoneta pools. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Bluffton Sardines.
Teams have been competing against each other since early June. Many of the swimmers compete year-round with their local YMCA team. Some participants also swim for local USA Swimming teams and have qualified for other competitions through this program.
Local companies and individual sponsors for the WOAL champs include Lima Elks #54 Wapak (awards stand) and Visit Findlay (Clerk of Course area). T-shirt sponsors include Around the Clock – Kenton, Baker Animal Hospital – Ada, Diamond M Vet – Kenton, Curling Iron – Bluffton, JTB Tech – Bluffton, Lima Sheet Metal – Ada, Precision Strip – Kenton, Quest FCU-Kenton, Roger’s Insurance-Kenton, Van Wert YMCA – Van Wert and the YMCA x3 – Bluffton
Admission is free and open to the public. Food trucks and concessions will also be available. Food Vendors include Bubba C BBQ, Bluffton Baking Co., Kona Ice, Doughlicious Donuts and Coffee, Artic Moo Ice Cream, Circle U Waflle CO., Buerger’s Fries and More Concessions and The Main Squeeze Fresh Lemonade.
