PENDLETON — The Stars & Stripes Invitational swim competition will return to the Alvin D. Brown Memorial Swimming Pool on Friday, June 29, and Saturday, June 30.
The meet, sanctioned by USA Swimming and Indiana Swimming, is set to start at 6 p.m. Friday with distant events. Swimmers will be back in the pool again at 9 a.m and 2:15 p.m. Saturday for two additional sessions.
Pendleton Swim Club and Power Aquatics Swim Club are running the event at the facility, which has a seven-lane, 50-meter pool, ideal for sanctioned swimming competition, organizers said.
Organizers are expecting hundreds of swimmers from 11 teams across the state to participate.
Current USA Swimming and Indiana Swimming rules will govern the meet.
Medals will be awarded for the first- to third-place swimmers. Age groups will be 8 and younger, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15 and older.
Ribbons will be awarded to first- through eighth-place finishers in each individual and relay events, officials said.
Mindy Hertzler, head coach of the Pendleton Swim Club, said playing host to a major event is a good way to unite the members as a team gives the club exposure.
“It will help us get a little bit of recognition for swimming and help us grow our club,” Hertzler said.
The Pendleton Swim Club currently has 87 members and more than 60 are expected to take part in the meet.
“It’s a big deal because it allows our club to come together as one,” Hertzler said.
The meet also will help the club raise funds to continue building the swim program.
Teams participating in the Stars and Stripes Invitational pay entry fees per event, and those proceeds pay to put on the meet and future club expenses.
Hertzler is in her fourth year of coaching the club, a year-’round organization for local swimmers age 5 through college-age. She’s also an assistant coach for the Pendleton Heights High School swim team.
The meet is open to the public. There is a $6 admission charge.
Spectators will be seated on the west side of the pool and are asked to bring their own lawn chairs and seating.
Families are allowed to bring in coolers, chairs, blankets and tents. Spectator tents will not be allowed on the pool deck, but they will be permitted in the grassy area behind the fence surrounding the pool.