First person: Come out and make a difference at the swim team's Senior Night meet

By Maritza Mestre
Published: Monday, October 13, 2008 - 5:53pm

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Uni fans who come to the swim team's Make a Difference Meet on Wednesday can cheer on Deborah Ladd (above) and her senior classmates while also contributing to a good cause, Crisis Nursery. Gargoyle photo by Revathi Maturi (click to enlarge)

URBANA — On Wednesday the Uni High girls swim team will celebrate Senior Night with Urbana High School in a charity meet to benefit Crisis Nursery.

The "Make a Difference Meet" will start at 4:30 p.m. at the Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center. The idea is to bring the two Urbana schools together to help a local charity.

This is the one meet of the year that is focused on helping a cause. Each year for the past six years a charity has been chosen by the junior swimmers on the Urbana team, and then both teams' parents and swimmers help to make the meet happen.

Last year the charity selected was Women in Transition. The Uni coordinator of this year's charity meet is junior Isaure Hostetter’s mom, Maryline Parca.

Donations for Crisis Nursery can be put in any of the collection boxes at the entrances to Uni (please note the wish list below).

A personal perspective

I really encourage everyone to help out and give their support in some way — whether by donating something or showing up to the meet.

In the past the response to the charity aspect of this meet hasn’t always been the best, especially in terms of the school donations. So please, everyone do your best to help out in some way.

As a junior now in my third season on the swim team, I really enjoy this meet every year. The girls from the Urbana team are always a great group to swim with.

I love that we get to participate in a dual meet with them (the only other time we get to swim with Urbana is at invites and larger meets) because the atmosphere is so positive and the meet isn’t really about times and points.

When someone has a nice race, members of both teams will congratulate that swimmer. The division line is less distinct between the teams — partly because members of the two teams know each other, and partly because we work together to help out with the charity aspect of the meet.

Farewell to Uni's senior trio

Something else to motivate you to go to the Make a Difference Meet? It's Senior Night.

Senior Night is definitely one of my favorite meets of the entire season. It's not just the enthusiasm everyone has (and the encouragement of the crowd that comes out to cheer on the team), but the support the team has for each other.

I love hearing the speeches the juniors give recognizing their senior teammates, and this year I’ll get to praise one of the three seniors: Deborah Ladd, Natsuki Nakamura, and Lor Sligar — all three captains and in their fourth year on the team.

There are very few meets we have that are in town that students, parents, and teachers are able to go to. I would even recommend coming to the meet at Urbana over one at Centennial simply because it will be smaller and less crowded, with more room for fans. Plus, the focus is more on Uni swimmers at a dual meet than at a huge invitational.

And most of all, the seniors deserve to be recognized. Who else wakes up before 5 a.m. five days a week for four years?

The combination of the Make a Difference Meet and Senior Night makes for a really great event. Come to the meet, donate something, and wish the seniors good luck! Any support is welcome and encouraged!

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